Sunderland have accepted a bid from Watford for Younes Kaboul after the defender asked to leave the Wearside club.
Black Cats boss David Moyes has granted Kaboul the chance to move on after the 30-year-old said he wanted to leave"for personal reasons," Sunderland confirmed in a statement.
Kaboul joined Sunderland from Tottenham last summer, forging an effective defensive pairing with Lamine Kone under former manager Sam Allardyce.
"Sunderland can confirm that it has accepted a bid from Watford for Younes Kaboul," read a club statement.
"Younes had spoken with David Moyes in recent days, expressing his desire to leave the club for personal reasons.
"The club therefore agreed to a request from the player's representative to be allowed to speak to Watford regarding a move.
"An agreement has been reached between the two clubs and the player has been given permission to talk to Watford regarding personal terms."
Former France international Kaboul attempted to explain his desire to leave Sunderland, praising the club for their handling of the situation.
"This is not an easy situation for me, but the club and the manager have shown an understanding of my personal circumstances and I am grateful for that," said Kaboul.
"The Sunderland fans have supported me fantastically well since I came to the club, they gave me my passion back and I sincerely thank them for that.
"I hope they understand that I have made this incredibly difficult decision for me."
