Sunderland are continuing their preparations for their return to the Premier League.

At the end of another busy week of news and transfer rumours, Phil Smith brings you up to speed with everything you need to know…

Are Sunderland still planning to appoint Florent Ghisolfi as director of football?

A deal has been agreed to recruit Ghisolfi following his departure from AS Roma, where he was sporting director for a year. AS Roma’s statement confirming Ghisolfi’s exit said he was embarking on a new professional challenge, understood to be at Sunderland. He’ll work alongside Kristjaan Speakman, who remains highly valued at the club. The view is that Sunderland’s infrastructure needs bolstering as they return to the top flight, and that the vast responsibilities Speakman has currently will need sharing more evenly in the top tier. Ghisolfi will also bring a strong network of contacts in the European game to bolster the recruitment operation.

It’s thought that Sunderland and Ghisolfi are finalising the deal and as when recruiting a player from abroad, there are administrative processes to go through. All being well, it will be in place in time for Ghisolfi to begin work as the players return to the Academy of Light in early July and the preparations for the news season begin in earnest.