Wednesday 6 January 2016 13:36, UK
Sunderland are closing on the signing of Jan Kirchhoff, with the Bayern Munich defender set to undergo a medical.
The 25-year-old was not among a party of 29 which left for Qatar on Wednesday morning, with Bayern confirming he had been left behind to push through a move.
A statement on Bayern's website said: "The travelling party does not include Jan Kirchhoff, who is away with his agent concluding negotiations for a possible transfer."
Kirchhoff arrived in the North East at Wednesday lunchtime to undergo the standard tests with the struggling Premier League side.
The German is out of contract in the summer and will cost Sam Allardyce's side around £1m.
Kirchhoff spent last season on loan at Schalke after a previous temporary spell with the Gelsenkirchen club, and has not made a competitive senior start for Bayern, for whom he has made one appearance as a substitute earlier this season.
Black Cats boss Allardyce will hope to finalise the move ahead of their next league game at Swansea on January 13, with fellow defender Younes Kaboul facing up to another six weeks out through injury.
Allardyce has also been linked with Lorient defender Lamine Kone, although no agreement has yet been reached on that front.
