As we told you earlier this month, Santiago Vergini was expected to become one of Sunderland's first pieces of transfer business once the season was over, with the club looking to make his loan deal from Estudiantes a permanent move, and it looks like that may come to fruition in the near future.
The Argentine defender struggled to adapt when he first joined the club in January but improved when he moved to the right hand side of a back three and then shone when played at right back during the run in. His improvement didn't go unnoticed with Gus Poyet praising the 25-year-old and saying he's looking forward to sitting Vergini down to discuss his future at the club;
Vergini pleases me a lot for different reasons. Firstly because I brought him here and I know him both as a player and as a person and know how important it was for him to succeed in England.
He was playing out of position so it is even more impressive what he has done.
When I needed a right back when Phil Bardsley was suspended, he was the only option.
It was almost unfair on him because if he had played badly, it might have killed him.
But he didn't and you have to give him enormous credit.
It will be nice to sit down with him and have a good chat about the future.
Despite Vergini impressing as a right back as the season drew to a close, his future is surely in the centre of Sunderland's defence and with John O'Shea and Wes Brown not getting any younger, making the Argentine international's move permanent seem like a no-brainer, particularly considering the cost of making the loan deal permanent is a reported £208,000.
Stay tuned to Roker Report throughout the summer as we keep you up to date with his and all other transfer news and rumours. Also, feel free to keep in touch with our dedicated Transfer Centre, which you can do by CLICKING HERE.