Thursday 2 February 2017 22:49, UK
Sebastian Coates has left Sunderland after agreeing a permanent switch to Sporting Lisbon.
The Uruguayan defender has been on loan at the Portuguese side for more than a year and Sporting have exercised their option to keep the player.
Sky Sports News HQ understands that the fee to make the loan permanent is £4.3m.
Coates made 32 appearances for Sunderland in his two spells spread over three years.
The 26-year-old joined Liverpool in 2011 but made just 24 appearances for the club.
He joined Sunderland on loan in September 2014 and made the move permanent in July the following year after helping the side avoid relegation.
Coates moved to Sporting on loan in January 2016 before the deal was extended for another year at the end of the season, with the Lisbon side now deciding to make it permanent with the defender a mainstay in their team during the campaign so far.
