The Uruguay centre-back, who has fallen down the pecking order under Sam Allardyce, is set to swap the Premier League for Portugal in an initial six-month loan dealSunderland defender Sebastian Coates is on the verge of moving to Portuguese giants Sporting on loan.
The Uruguay international only joined the Black Cats on a permanent deal last summer, having spent a year on loan at the Stadium of Light previously, but he does not feature in Sam Allardyce’s first-team plans.
The deal is a six-month loan until the end of the season, when Sporting will then have the option to make the move permanent, and is expected to be signed imminently.
Coates originally joined the Black Cats while Gus Poyet was still in charge, though he was initially injured and then only used sparingly by his compatriot.
Dick Advocaat’s arrival brought about more game time, though, and a run of six straight starts at the end of the season saw Sunderland lose just once as they narrowly escaped relegation.
He has made 16 Premier League appearances this season, but a recent run of five straight losses curtailed his involvement under Allardyce.
Since the turn of the year, he has played just two minutes of league action – coming on as a late sub against Aston Villa – and was not in the matchday squad at all to face Tottenham.
Allardyce has instead opted to pair former Manchester United duo John O’Shea and Wes Brown at centre-back together having finally settled on a back four after flirting with a three-man defence.
Sunderland have already brought in centre-back cover in January, with Jan Kirchhoff – who had a disastrous debut at White Hart Lane – arriving from Bayern Munich.
Coates’ departure will bring down the curtain on a less-than-spectacular time in England for the centre-back, who was named the Best Young Player at the 2011 Copa America but has struggled to impress at both Liverpool and Sunderland.
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