The 26-year-old, who became available after his contract with Lazio expired, is believed to have been tracked by the Black Cats for some time.
Manager Paolo Di Canio will welcome the defender to the Stadium of Light following their time together when the Italian played for Lazio in the latter stages of his career.
Diakite spent seven seasons with the Serie A outfit.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Sunderland | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 30 |
| 2 | Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 28 |
| 3 | Leeds UnitedLeeds | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 9 | 13 | 26 |
| 4 | Burnley | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 24 |
| 5 | West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 22 |
| 6 | Millwall | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 22 |
| 7 | Watford | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| 8 | Middlesbrough | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 21 |
| 9 | Swansea CitySwansea | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 19 |
| 10 | Blackburn RoversBlackburn | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 19 |
| 11 | Bristol City | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 19 |
| 12 | Norwich CityNorwich | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 18 |
| 13 | Derby CountyDerby | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| 14 | Stoke CityStoke | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 18 | -1 | 18 |
| 15 | Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 24 | -7 | 18 |
| 16 | Oxford UnitedOxford Utd | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| 17 | Coventry CityCoventry | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 15 |
| 18 | Hull City | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 15 |
| 19 | Luton TownLuton | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 21 | -5 | 15 |
| 20 | Preston North EndPreston | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 20 | -6 | 15 |
| 21 | Cardiff CityCardiff | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 20 | -7 | 15 |
| 22 | Plymouth ArgylePlymouth | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 25 | -11 | 15 |
| 23 | Queens Park RangersQPR | 14 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 23 | -11 | 10 |
| 24 | Portsmouth | 14 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 27 | -14 | 9 |
| > Championship Full Table | |||||||||
