According to The Sun, Sunderland have been forced to pay £6.4m for Papy Djilobodji and Didier Ndong, two players who have gone AWOL this season. The 29-year-old defender and 24-year-old midfielder both failed to return to training with Sunderland in the summer and could find themselves sacked for ‘gross misconduct’ by owner Stewart Donald.
Djilobodji was signed by the Black Cats from Chelsea for more than £8m in 2016 and has gone on to make 24 appearances in all competitions. He spent last season on loan with French side Dijon but hasn’t reported for training since.