Sebastian Coates who has been on loan with Sporting Lisbon from Sunderland since January 2016 has been signed by the Portuguese side on a permanent basis days after the transfer deadline, as confirmed by BBC.
Coates failed to establish himself as a regular during two seasons with Sunderland, making 32 appearances for the Black Cats. The Portuguese exercised their right to keep the player on a permanent basis.
With Sunderland looking to offload players who are surplus to requirements and Lisbon competing with other clubs to secure the services of Coates on a permanent basis, this deal makes sense to both clubs and it is expected that Sunderland will gain €5 million from it.
Coates was brought in to Sunderland on a season long loan from Liverpool in 2014 by then manager Gus Poyet. He initially failed to impress however once Dick Advocaat became manager, Coates received a permanent contract.
