Cats set to win Cuellar chase

Former Aston Villa defender Carlos Cuellar is set to snub interest from Sevilla to become Sunderland's first signing of the summer.

The Spanish centre-back has been strongly linked with a move to the Black Cats for the last few months and a reunion with former Villa boss Martin O'Neill. However, the speculation is now close to turning into a reality with reports in the North-East suggesting that the 31-year-old will sign a two-year-old with Sunderland if all goes to plan with medical and negotiations over his personal terms. Cuellar's agent Pedro Bravo has flown to England to push through the deal with the Black Cats, with the financial package on offer from the Premier League side believed to much more appealing than what he would get back in Spain with Sevilla. The free transfer signing of Cuellar would represent O'Neill's first foray into the market for a permanent addition since taking over as boss from Steve Bruce last December. To date, the Northern Irishman has only been able to add two loan players to the squad he inherited, namely Wayne Bridge and Sotirios Kyrgiakos from Manchester City and Wolfsburg respectively, before the close of the January transfer window.