The Sunderland Echo has reported that left-back Reece James has held talks with Doncaster over a two-year deal at the Keepmoat Stadium.
This may come as a surprise to many after Sunderland chairman Stewart Donald revealed last week that the 25-year-old had taken up an option in his contract to extend his stay at the club for a further year.
After Danny Andrew joined Fleetwood Town from Doncaster, manager Grant McCann said that the club were close to agreeing a deal for a replacement, with that now believed to be James.
He said: “We’ve reached an agreement with another club to sign a left back on a permanent deal. This player has experience in League One and will be a valuable addition to the club.”
James began his professional career at Manchester United despite not making an appearance for them, he had loan spells at Carlisle, Rotherham and Huddersfield, only playing 14 league games between them, before joining Wigan in 2015.
He played nearly 50 times for the Latics before joining Sunderland in 2018, where he played a big part in a season that saw them reach the play-off final, which they lost against Charlton 2-1.
The defender made 34 appearances for the Black Cats in all competitions in the 2018/19 campaign. He suffered an injury which saw him miss the last couple of months of the season, with his last appearance coming in the Checkatrade Trophy final defeat to Portsmouth.
With experience at League One level, James could be a good edition for Doncaster as they look to replace Danny Andrew ahead of the new season where they will be looking to improve on last seasons play-off semi final defeat and go one step further.
