DICK ADVOCAAT has moved to keep Wes Brown at Sunderland by offering the defender a new deal.

Brown, who turns 36 in October, had been expected to leave this summer at the end of his contract at the Stadium of Light but Advocaat’s return to the club has led to a change of heart.

Now the centre-half is understood to be close to agreeing an extension, the length of which could coincide with the 12-month term which the Dutch head coach has penned.

Brown has had his injury problems since signing from Manchester United four years ago in a £1m deal, but he has figured more prominently in each of the last two seasons.

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He made 28 appearances last season and Advocaat thinks the former England defender is a valuable and hugely respected member of the squad capable of playing another year in the Premier League.

He will not be expected to play every game and the push has already started to bring in a new centre-back. There is a chance that Liverpool will be approached about the prospect of Sebastian Coates returning after the end of his season-long loan, and there will be a further addition.

Brown’s experience is seen as integral to the squad Advocaat wants for the next year, with long-term friend John O’Shea alongside him.

It is understood negotiations over a new deal have been fruitful, weeks after it had been thought he would be leaving this summer.

Sunderland are also in discussions to keep French full-back Anthony Reveillere and are at an advanced stage of negotiations, while sporting director Lee Congerton has had detailed talks with Advocaat aimed at finding summer transfer targets.

American owner Ellis Short has indicated a willingness to give the former PSV Eindhoven coach the cash to invest in the squad this summer, in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the customary relegation threatened seasons.

South Korean defender Kim Young-Gwon, Hannover’s former Real Madrid forward Joselu and Werder Bremen’s Franco di Santo have been mentioned along with Celtic’s Virgil van Dijk and Chelsea youngster Patrick Bamford as targets.

It would seem unlikely at this stage that Sunderland will make a renewed approach to try to sign Liverpool striker Fabio Borini, who constantly knocked back a move last summer when Gus Poyet made him a priority signing.

Borini looks set to leave Anfield after struggling to make an impact even though he had outlined a determination to make a success of his Liverpool career after rejecting the £10m permanent switch to the North-East.

Borini’s agent Marco de Marchi said: “Several teams have asked about Fabio on loan but the Liverpool board have always refused, especially in light of the £10m bid that was rejected last year from Sunderland.”

He added: “Sunderland was a step back, the result of the first unlucky season with the Reds. But when he returned to form he expected to be able to have more possibilities with the Reds.

“Fabio now only has a one-year contract. What matters for him is to find a team of the top level with a serious technical project and the opportunity to perhaps play in the European cups. I think taking Fabio today, at the age of 24, at the height of his career, with one year on his contract, is a real steal.”