Midfielder set to sign?

Reports today suggest that Sunderland are on the verge of signing Oxford United midfielder Dean Whitehead.

The 22 year old is said to have travelled to Sunderland today to finalise the terms of his transfer from the Kassam Stadium to the Stadium of Light.

Personal terms have been agreed, and the only thing left to sort out is how much compensation League 2 club Oxford will receive from the deal; because Whitehead is under 24, the selling club are entitled to a fee. Should Sunderland and Oxford be unable to agree that fee, the matter would be decided by a tribunal.

Whitehead worked his way up through Oxford's youth setup and signed professional papers for his hometown club in the summer of 1999. Last season he scored seven goals from 47 starts.

He was voted Oxford United's Young Player of the Year for the season 2002/03.

Should the deal be completed successfully, Whitehead will be Mick McCarthy's third signing this close-season, after securing the signatures of Stephen Elliott from Manchester City and Carl Robinson from Portsmouth. Newcastle's Stephen Caldwell is said to have already signed a pre-contract agreement in advance of his current deal at St James's Park expiring at the end of this month.