With a formal bid for Charlton youngster Joe Gomez expected from Liverpool in the coming days, the Reds are reportedly looking to shuffle Sunderland target Sebastian Coates out the door sooner rather than later.
After a successful loan spell at the Stadium of Light last season, the Wearside outfit are looking to make the Uruguayan defenders switch to the North East permanent with a bid somewhere in the region of £4mil expected to be enough to secure his services — which is right around the same amount that Liverpool will be offering the Championship side for their highly rated youngster.
Coates never looked like holding down a regular spot at Anfield since arriving on Merseyside under Kenny Dalglish four years ago for £7mil, and if it wasn’t for a massive knee injury that ruled out him for much of the 2013/2014 campaign, it’s a near certainty that he would have already been moved on. This, of course, is good news for Black Cats boss Dick Advocaat who is keen to retain his services while the player has already expressed his willingness to make his temporary spell with Sunderland permanent.
While it sounds like wins all around in the North East, Liverpool fans will be left scratching their heads at exactly what’s happening at Anfield. With Martin Skrtel’s future on Merseyside in question, Kopites around the world would have been expecting the Reds to be making a move for the likes of Real Sociedad prodigy Inigo Martinez or classy Barcelona boy Marc Bartra to shore up the back line, but instead we’re looking at another player in the Championship? Certainly there’s no indication that Gomez, who does look promising, would feature for the first team on anything resembling a regular basis, but don’t we already have a youngster to challenge for a spot — and one with a little more experience at that — in Tiago Illori?
