Sebastian Coates could be a Sunderland player in the coming days, with the defender set to seal his Anfield exit following the completion of Uruguay’s participation in the Copa America tournament.
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The defending champions were eliminated earlier this week, losing to hosts Chile, and the Black Cats will move for Coates as soon as he returns to England – according to reports in the Newcastle Chronicle.
Coates spent last year on loan at Sunderland and finished the season strongly, helping them avoid relegation. Their manager, Dick Advocaat, is believed to be a big fan of the 24-year-old, and wants to get a deal done soon.
The 24-year-old, who was ranked among the best young defenders on the planet when he arrived at Liverpool in 2011, has had his progress at Anfield greatly restricted by injuries. He’s made just 12 Premier League appearances for us and is now well down the pecking order, following the arrival of Joe Gomez from Charlton Athletic and the emergence of Tiago Ilori at this summer’s Under-21 European Championships.
According to the Chronicle, Liverpool will pocket £4m from the sale of Coates, a move that will hopefully kick-start a flurry of summer departures.
Strikers Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert have all been linked with moves away from the club (via the Mirror), while full-backs Jose Enrique and Javier Manquillo could also go (via the Liverpool Echo).