New signing Lamine Kone will wear the number 23 shirt when he lines up for the Black Cats.
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Sunderland’s official club website confirmed Kone has signed on a permanent basis, citing an undisclosed transfer fee.
Sunderland had been close to signing the 26-year-old for £5million at the start of the month, but the deal fell through.
The Black Cats now sit 19th in the Premier League, four points off safety with the worst defensive record in the top flight – conceding an average of two goals every single game in the current campaign.
Lorient vice-president Alex Hayes said: “Sunderland have returned with an offer that we could not refuse. He has to make his decision in the coming hours”.
Kone joins Jan Kirchhoff, Dame N’Doye and Steven Harper in arriving at the Stadium of Light this month as manager Sam Allardyce seeks to guide 19th-placed Sunderland away from danger.
Sunderland are also monitoring Mathieu Debuchy’s situation at Arsenal as he looks for regular club football before this summer’s Euro 2016 finals, although they face a battle with Aston Villa if they are to strike a loan deal.
Kone’s arrival is likely to mean former Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates is allowed to depart, with Sporting Lisbon interested in the Uruguayan.
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Meanwhile, Greek midfielder Charis Mavrias has joined Bundesliga 2 Fortuna Dusseldorf on loan for the remainder of the season.
