DICK ADVOCAAT hopes to get the future of forgotten man Valentin Roberge sorted before the defender is due to return to pre-season training.

The French centre-back ended the last campaign on loan with Stade de Reims, but no permanent transfer has been agreed so he will be back on Wearside when the squad reunites at the Academy of Light in a couple of weeks.

But Advocaat is not interested in taking a look at him and sporting director Lee Congerton is looking at ways of moving him on to free up another hole in the pool of players he has to call on.

The Sunderland head coach will almost certainly conclude a deal, thought to be around £4m, for Sebastian Coates from Liverpool after the Uruguayan has finished playing in the Copa America.

And Advocaat would still like to add another defensive option to his ranks to compete with John O’Shea and Wes Brown because he is happy to listen to offers for Santiago Vergini.

The Argentine is due to complete a £2m switch to Sunderland because of a clause in the initial loan agreement which stipulated it would automatically become permanent if they stayed up.

But Sunderland, who are aware of apparent interest in him from Newell’s Old Boys, would still be interested to receive suitable offers and to let him leave if it meant not taking too much of a hit on their initial deal.

Roberge arrived at Sunderland from Maritimo in 2013 when former sporting director Robert De Fanti went wild during his first summer at the club by signing a variety of different players. Two more, Charis Mavrias and El-Hadji Ba, are also due back to training next month following loans.

Roberge only played 11 times for Reims after moving there last September so a permanent switch is unlikely. His representatives are working on trying to get him an alternative switch back to his France homeland.

He has only played ten times for the Black Cats since moving as a free agent and he has previously had spells with Guingamp, Paris St Germain and Aris. He made his first Sunderland appearance in August 2013 when he scored at Peterborough but he has never shown why he was signed by De Fanti.

Sunderland are also pushing on a deal to sign either of Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal or Leeds’ Sam Byram. Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford, who was on loan at Middlesbrough last season, is viewed as possible contender to take up one of Sunderland’s two domestic loan slots.