Carlos Cuellar is expected to join Sunderland Football Club in January.

The Spanish defender is in the final year of his contract at Aston Villa, who want to offload his salary from their wage bill when the window reopens.

For this reason the Black Cats feel they can land the 30-year-old former Rangers star on a free transfer or, if it comes to it, just a minimal fee.

Stadium of Light boss Martin O’Neill paid almost £7million for Cuellar during his time in charge of Villa, and he feels the player is still capable of cutting it in the Premier League.

Get all the latest news on your club. Visit 360 Football, the best football news aggregator on the web!