Sacked Sunderland midfielder Didier Ndong is close to joining Guingamp after the Ligue 1 club announced they had reached an agreement in principle with the Black Cats.

The Gabon international midfielder has been without a club since having his contract at the Stadium of Light terminated after he failed to report back for training in an effort to force through a move away.

However, he can sign for a new club during the January transfer window with the Black Cats entitled to compensation if he does so.

Guingamp said on their official Twitter feed: “The EAG confirms that it has reached an agreement in principle with Sunderland for the transfer of Gabon’s international box-to-box midfielder Didier Ndong.”

Ndong, 24, joined Sunderland in a £13.6million move from Lorient in August 2016, but made just 54 appearances for the club and was sent out on loan to Watford, where he did not play a single game, during the second half of last season.

He was linked with a move away from Wearside last summer in the wake of relegation to League One with Torino and Benfica among his suitors, but a deal failed to materialise and although he belatedly reported to the club’s training headquarters, he was served with notice of the intention to terminate his contract in September.