Bristol City club captain Bailey Wright is close to completing a move to Sunderland.
Bristol Live understands that the 24-cap Australia international was due to head to the north east this week to complete a medical before signing for the Black Cats.
However an injury for Nathan Baker has delayed the switch to Phil Parkinson's League One outfit.
With Tomas Kalas still out for another 10 days with a thigh injury sustained recently in the first FA Cup Third Round game against Shrewsbury Town, Bristol City have decided to delay the transfer.
Wright is due to provide cover at centre-back this weekend, with only Ashley Williams and Taylor Moore fit of City's regular centre-backs.
The likelihood is that the move will be completed after the weekend with Wright expected to head to Sunderland on Monday.
Only further injuries might curtail the agreed switch, that will likely see a nominal fee collected by City, with 27-year-old Wright out of contract in the summer.
The move brings to an end Wright's career in BS3, a three-year spell with more than 70 appearances made, where the popular Aussie forced his way into the team and eventually became club captain in the summer of 2017.
"We’re ready to make our second signing and that changed right at the last minute, but we’re just working towards everything and hopefully we can piece things together to add to what we’ve got," said Sunderland boss Parkinson yesterday, after revealing that a move for a player should go through early next week.
"We had a player who was supposed to come up yesterday for a medical but his club picked up a slight injury in training. That’s been put back to Monday but we’re hoping that will be sorted on Monday."
Wright, a bubbly and likeable character, moves on for further first-team opportunities.
With the emergence of Taylor Moore Bristol City are well stocked at the back and the club may now recruit another centre-back in this transfer window.
Motherwell's Declan Gallagher has been linked with the Robins, with Lee Johnson good friends with 'Well boss Stephen Robinson.
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