Sunderland have won the race for highly rated Dutch goalkeeper Robin Roefs, with the 22-year-old NEC Nijmegen star set to join the newly promoted Championship side in a deal worth over €10.5 million (£9m) — plus a potential €3 million in add-ons and a sell-on clause to boot.

Roefs is expected to complete his medical on Wednesday before putting pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Stadium of Light — and he’s arriving to be number one in more ways than one.

A Statement Signing Between the Sticks

Already a Netherlands Under-21 international, Roefs made 42 senior appearances for NEC, helping them finish a respectable 8th in the Eredivisie last season. He also featured at the Under-21 Euros, where the Dutch made it to the semi-finals before being knocked out by eventual winners England.

Clearly, this is no run-of-the-mill keeper signing. Roefs brings shot-stopping quality, confidence in possession, and big-game experience — and at just 22, there’s plenty more to come.

Sunderland’s Summer Just Got Spicier

Roefs will become Sunderland’s seventh signing of the summer, joining the ever-growing list of new arrivals:

• Reinildo Mandava
• Chemsdine Talbi
• Noah Sadiki
• Enzo Le Fée
• Habib Diarra
• Simon Adingra

Yep, Sunderland mean business. And they might not be done yet.

The Black Cats are also closing in on a stunning €20m move for former Arsenal midfield dynamo Granit Xhaka, currently at Bayer Leverkusen. If that goes through, it could be one of the biggest shocks of the window.