SUNDERLAND have reached an agreement with Jack Rodwell that has ended the controversial midfielder's time at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland’s new owner, Stewart Donald, has held a number of talks with Rodwell’s representatives aimed at reaching an agreement that will see the 27-year-old accept a compensation payment in return for cancelling the final 12 months of his current Black Cats contract.

That deal was finalised today when the players returned for pre-season training.

While Rodwell was due to face a deferred 40 per cent wage reduction at the start of next month, he would have been entitled to around £42,000-a-week if he remained on Sunderland’s books next season.

That equated to a total commitment of more than £2m, and would have had a major impact on Sunderland’s budgetary planning in League One.

Rodwell rejected an offer from former chief executive Martin Bain to cancel his contract in January, even though a club in the Dutch Eredivisie was willing to take him on a short-term deal for the second half of last season.

Talks with Donald and his fellow director, Charlie Methven, were more constructive, with Rodwell keen to draw a line under what has proved a disastrous period in his career.

Speaking to the Roker Rapport podcast recently, Donald said: “Him (Rodwell) and his agent have been excellent to deal with. When players don’t want to be here, we need to be reasonable with them and they need to be reasonable with us. Jack Rodwell is being sensible, and if he’s being sensible, then there is a chance he will leave.”

Rodwell’s agents have been encouraged to tout the former England international’s services around clubs in the MLS.

New England Revolution have tried to sign him in the past, while Greek club Aris Thessaloniki have come forward with an approach of their own in the last week.

Removing Rodwell from the wage bill solves one major headache that Donald inherited when he took over from Ellis Short, and another issue is likely to be cleared up in the next couple of weeks with Wahbi Khazri’s Tunisia having exited the World Cup at the group stage.

St Etienne are the latest French club to have expressed an interest in signing Khazri this summer, joining Rennes, Nice, Lyon and Marseille on the list of Ligue 1 sides who have the winger in their sights.

Negotiations have proved difficult thus far, with Khazri’s representatives trying to secure a free transfer that would earn their client the highest possible salary while the Sunderland hierarchy remain insistent they will only allow the 27-year-old to leave if they receive a transfer fee.

A compromise should be achievable, with Khazri keen to get his future sorted in the next couple of weeks before the French pre-season period begins.

Sunderland have completed three signings of their own this summer, with Jon McLaughlin and Chris Maguire having joined Turkish defender Alim Ozturk on the list of arrivals in the last 24 hours.

McLaughlin, a 30-year-old goalkeeper with previous experience at Bradford City and Burton Albion, joined as a free agent after turning down a new contract at Hearts.

He made his full international debut for Scotland at the start of the month, and is excited by the challenge of trying to help rebuild Sunderland in League One.

“The gaffer and the club had been in contact with my agent at a fairly early stage, showing their interest and seeing what the availability might be,” said McLaughlin, in an interview with Sunderland's official website. “Over the summer, and while I was away on holiday, we started to get a bit more serious with some talks.

“In the last few days, it ramped up quite quickly, and this was the one we wanted to get done. There were a couple of other options that were starting to come as well, so it was important we could move forward quickly. In the last few days, it’s really progressed, and it was fantastic that the gaffer and his team put their faith in wanting to bring me to the club and get the deal done.

“It’s an absolutely massive football club. It’s had its hard times recently, but there’s been other clubs that have had similar sorts of falls and recovered. An example is Wolves. They’ve got themselves back on the right track, and are back where they belong. This is a club that stood out for me as well.”

Maguire is similarly optimistic about Sunderland’s prospects despite the club suffering two relegations in the space of two years.

“I’ve played in this league before and I know what it’s about,” said the striker, who has signed from Bury. “A team as massive as Sunderland is, they shouldn’t be here, but it’s up to myself and the other boys to get us out of that league.

“It’s a massive club, and one I’m really looking forward to (playing for). You only have to look at the support and season tickets that have been sold. Everybody’s behind the club, and it’s up to the players to step up now.”