Lennie is trying to get the deal completed. All parties appear to be in favour of the move.
Mick McCarthy says
"If Cardiff City make the deal permanent and take over his contract until the end of the season, I am sure Darren Williams will play against us this weekend.
"If he is still a registered player for us he will not play. I find it bizarre that things have gone this far without anything happening, but it's Cardiff City's issue.
"If they can't do it this week I will find that a bit strange.
"But I have to be fair to Daz. If he is Cardiff's player he plays on Saturday."
Lennie Lawrence says
"I hope to complete the signing soon and Sunderland have agreed that he can play against them if the deal is completed in time.
"Darren has done a great job for the team and defensively, he's been excellent."
"It's all a bit up in the air at the moment and I've no idea myself what's going to happen.
"I know that the manager wants me to stay here.
"He told me after my very first game that he wanted to sign me on permanently and was going to see if he could sort out the finances.
"But I've heard that he wants to sign me for this weekend.
"Apparently there's a chance that he can and that it will come down to what the chairman Sam Hammam says, but no-one's approached me yet about it.
"It'll probably go down to the wire on Friday afternoon.
"I've enjoyed my time down at Cardiff. It's a good feeling to be a regular first team player again.
"It means a lot to a professional footballer to be training through the week, knowing you're going to be playing in a game at the weekend.
"But at this moment in time I'm still a Sunderland player.
"I'm very proud to have served the club for nine years and I would love to be one of those rare players who have played for Sunderland Football Club for a decade - that would be something special to look back on.
"But we'll just have to wait and see what happens. To be honest, if I play for Cardiff against Sunderland it will be a weird experience.
"I'll be professional and do my best for Cardiff if I'm transferred before the game, but for me it will be like playing in front of two sets of home fans."
Sort it out chaps.
If it all goes wrong then Williams will still eligable for City for the the trip to Sheffield Utd but that would be his last loan game. Rhys Weston will start if Williams does not sign.
Whilst Darren has been a bit off form in the last couple of games he has added stability and reliability to the City defence.