BAILEY Wright has committed to Sunderland by signing a new contract at the Stadium of Light.

The 29-year-old, whose deal was due to expire in the next few days, has put pen-to-paper on a fresh two year deal at the club.

Wright was offered fresh terms following the club’s promotion back to the Championship but has recently been allowed extended time off due to being on international duty with Australia, where he helped his home country qualify for the World Cup thanks to a penalty shootout win over Peru. He fellows in the footsteps of Lynden Gooch and Patrick Roberts who both signed new contracts with the club.

The news comes on the same day Arsenal centre half Daniel Ballard was on Wearside to complete a medical ahead of signing a four-contract.

The 29-year-old was a key figure in the heart of Alex Neil’s defence for the second half of the season forming a formidable partnership with Danny Batth as Sunderland’s 16 match unbeaten run led them to promotion back to the second tier of English football.

Wright who has been on holiday, was attracting interest from his home nation and was heavily linked with a potential return to his homeland last summer when he was struggling to claim a first-team spot under Lee Johnson.

He remained on Wearside for the final year of his contract, and while he was in and out of the side under Johnson in the first half of last season, he was a regular starter under Alex Neil in the second half of the campaign.

His reliability at the heart of the back four persuaded Neil to offer him a new deal, but there was been renewed interest from within Australia’s A-League, with Wright’s international status making him an especially appealing proposition to clubs in his homeland.

The defender has always said that, at some stage, he would like to return to play in Australia, but with Sunderland gearing up for a return to the Championship, the time is not right for a move Down Under.

Instead, Wright will return to Wearside in the next couple of weeks and be reunited with his Black Cats team-mates as they step up their preparations for the start of the new season.