Dylan McGeouch close to completing Sunderland switch

Sunderland manager Jack Ross is hopeful of completing the signing of Dylan McGeouch by the start of next week.

McGeouch is available on a free transfer after his contract with Hibs expired, and the former Celtic midfielder met Ross for talks last week at Sunderland’s Academy of Light training ground.

According to the Northern Echo, the 25-year-old then met with representatives from Aberdeen and Rangers, but is believed to have set his sights on joining the Black Cats, despute their relegation to League One.

• READ MORE (from June 1 2018) - Rangers interested in Dylan McGeouch - reports

Ross has already brought in Tom Flanagan, Chris Maguire, Jon McLaughlin and Alim Ozturk since taking charge at Sunderland, and is hopeful of adding McGeouch to his new recruits early next week.

Ross told the Northern Echo: “We’re hopeful there’ll be one more signing in the early part of next week. Then maybe we’ll have to wait and see who leaves us or who moves on.

“I think everybody would like do things nice and early and clean, so we know where we’re at. But that was never going to be the case. I knew that before I came in.

“I knew there was going to be this juggling act through this period. Hopefully, it will be one more in, then we’ll see how the next week or so after that goes.”

McGeouch was brought to Easter Road by Alan Stubbs in August 2014, initially on a season-long loan from Celtic, but the move was made permanent the following summer.

He struggled with injuries during the 2015/16 season but played the full match as Hibs won the Scottish Cup for the first time in 114 years with a 3-2 win over Rangers in May 2016.

McGeouch made more than 120 appearances for Hibs, including 44 in his final season under Neil Lennon. His impressive performances in green and white led to a maiden Scotland call-up in March, although he had to pull out through injury.

He was then called up for, and played in, the friendly matches against Peru and Mexico.

Lennon revealed earlier this month that he hadn’t given up hope of hanging onto the highly regarded midfielder, but McGeouch looks to have all but decided on a move to Sunderland.