Sunderland AFC are delighted to announce the signing of defender Joel Lynch.

The 31-year-old has put pen to paper on a one-year deal at the Stadium of Light, becoming Jack Ross' sixth signing of the summer.

Lynch, who was available on a free transfer after leaving Queens Park Rangers at the end of last season, arrives on Wearside with a wealth of experience having previously represented Brighton & Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town.

The defender has made over 200 appearances at Championship level after initially starting his career on the south coast at Brighton in League One.

Speaking about joining Sunderland, Lynch said: "I’ve known about the deal for a week or so and I’m just delighted to get it all done now.

“I travelled up on Sunday and looked around the place today. It’s an amazing club and I’m just excited to get going because it has everything you need to succeed.”

Jack Ross added: "Joel is an experienced defender with a lot of know-how. He has played the bulk of his career in the Championship and will bring a lot of physicality and strength to our squad.

“It is important to have those attributes as a defender and that was why we wanted to bring him to the club.

“He had interest from elsewhere so we had to patient in getting this deal done, but we feel as though we’ve got someone who will strengthen our squad which is important.”