Sunderland are set to add to their goalkeeping ranks with a surprise move for Portsmouth stopper Alex Bass, according to a report on Patreon from Alan Nixon.

Alex Neil has been on the hunt for a stopper to challenge Anthony Patterson for the number one jersey at the Stadium of Light this season, and has been linked to players like Leicester City's Daniel Iversen.

However, in somewhat of a shock, it appears that Bass will be heading to Wearside instead, with the the 24-year-old going up north for a medical to tie up the transfer.

Bass has been targeted by League One side Exeter City and fourth tier outfit Crawley Town in recent weeks, per Nixon, but he's now set to secure a big switch to Sunderland.

A Pompey academy graduate, Bass made his debut in August 2016 at the age of 18, but he has only appeared 15 times in the league for the south coast club.

Most recently, Bass spent the second half of the 2021-22 campaign on loan at Bradford City in League Two, where he appeared 22 times for the Bantams.

The Verdict

This is somewhat of a surprise swoop for the Black Cats - especially considering Bass is expecting to challenge for the starting spot.

He hasn't particularly shown anything to suggest recently that he can make the step up to the Championship - Danny Cowley would have surely given him a real chance in the first-team by now if he thought that was the case.

Alex Neil has been shrewd at times in the transfer market though with clubs he's been at, so maybe his recruitment team has seen some untapped potential in Bass.

Of course, goalkeepers do tend to play on until they are older unlike outfield players, so Bass has a lot of time on his side - Sunderland fans though were probably expecting someone with more Championship experience however.