Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat is reportedly on the brink of making Liverpool centre-back Sebastian Coates his first signing at the club.
The Uruguayan spent last season on loan with the Black Cats and played 13 times as they managed to avoid relegation in the final few weeks of the campaign.
The Express claims that Advocaat has been handed £40m to spend this summer in order to revamp the squad and will sign the 24-year-old for a fee in the region of £3.5m.
Coates joined Liverpool four years ago.
