Sunderland striker Mason Cotcher has agreed a deal to sign for Aston Villa and is set to put pen to paper on a contract today, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Sunderland are gearing up for another year in the Championship.
The new season gets underway this weekend and the Black Cats are entering their third back in the second tier since their League One promotion.
Sunderland are now under the management of Regis Le Bris and it will be hoped the French boss can make improvements from their campaign last time around.
Their summer business hasn’t been too loud so far, but one man who was always heading for the exit is Cotcher.
The young striker didn’t sign a professional deal in the north east this summer and has since been linked with several big name clubs.
Now, it seems Aston Villa have agreed a deal for the young starlet and Romano reports he is set to sign his new contract at Villa Park today.
A big loss
The 17-year-old is a highly rated attacker and could have broke into Sunderland’s first team over the next season or two.
He has scored nine goals in 27 games for Sunderland’s U18 sides and has been involved with England’s youth setup for sometime now.
The versatile attacker though will now link up with the Villains in the Premier League and he will be hoping to impress there and eventually make his name in England’s top tier.
However, it is a slightly strange decision given Sunderland are known for their commitment to youth players over recent years.
It would have been thought that Cotcher would have more of a chance of breaking into the first time at Sunderland before he ever will at Villa.
The season ahead
Sunderland will be targeting a top half finish this season.
Le Bris has a big job ahead of him and he will need a few more additions this summer if his side is to challenge the brink of the top six.
The Black Cats have made a few mistakes over the past year, but they are still building the foundations of an exciting project and if they can get the finishing touches right then they could be in for a positive couple of years.
The fact they have held onto their big names so far suggests the players are bought into what the club are trying to do and that will only help them succeed this season.
They begin their season with a trip to Wales tomorrow to face Cardiff City and they will be hoping to get their season off to a winning start by picking up an early three points to kickstart proceedings.
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