Napoli defender Andrea Dossena is on his way to Sunderland to put the final details down on a contract reports the usually reliable Gianluca Di Marzio in Italy.
#dossena (@sscnapoli lb player) is joining @SAFCofficial: he's travelling to England for medical and last details with his new club
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@dimarzio) September 2, 2013
The Italian would certainly fit the bill as a left-back, although there are several doubts about his quality as the vast majority of Napoli fans it seems would be glad to see the back of him, coupled with him being a relative flop at Liverpool a few seasons back too.
Dossena made his name at... yup, you guessed it, Udinese in 2006. That connection coming in again as Sunderland look to put a specialist in the problem position.
It's difficult not to get carried away and judge anything based on his spell at Liverpool as it ended nearly three years ago now, and things can change. Certainly it's better to have someone accustomed to the position there.
At 32-years old, it's not a long-term solution either, but at least he actually is a left-full back. I don't suppose we can complain too much.
It's unclear at the moment if this is a loan or a permanent transfer. Either way, a fee is likely to be negligible.