Sunderland are set to confirm the signing of Hartlepool defender Kenton Richardson according to The Mirror's Graeme Bailey.

It was believed that a number of other clubs were interested in signing Richardson, but Sunderland have won the race to land his signature this summer.

Richardson made 14 first-team appearances for Hartlepool in the 2019/20 season, as they finished ninth in the National League, after their season was concluded early due to off-the-field events.

Sunderland endured a frustrating league campaign last term under the management of Phil Parkinson, as the Black Cats finished eighth in the League One table.

The majority of clubs in the third-tier agreed to curtail the season on a PPG (points per game) basis, which led to Sunderland missing out on a top-six finish after some inconsistent results during the 2019/20 campaign.

It condemns them to another season in the third-tier of English football, and the club's supporters will be expectant in seeing their side win promotion into the Championship this term.

Phil Parkinson is clearly keen to add to his squad, having made a number of signings already during the summer transfer window.

Sunderland host Bristol Rovers at the Stadium of Light on the opening day of the season, in what could prove to be a tricky test for the Black Cats.

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The Verdict: 

This could prove to be a smart signing.

Richardson is a player that clearly has something about him if he's attracting interest from a number of clubs heading into the new league season.

Sunderland could certainly benefit from having competition for places, especially in defence, so it's a smart move by the club to target Richardson.

It'll be interesting to see whether he's involved in the first-team setup heading towards the 2020/21 league campaign, but I think this is more of a signing for the club's Under-23s side at the moment.