Di Canio hoping to convince Lucas Orban to switch to the Black Cats.
Left-back Lucas Orban of Club Atletico Tigre in the Argentinian league is a transfer target for both Sunderland and Villarreal, reports the Sunderland Echo.
Orban has been targeted by manager Paolo Di Canio for some time, but had made it clear to any potential suitors that he wanted to conclude the current campaign before deciding on his future.
With the season finishing on Saturday the 24-year-old has now said he will sit down with his family to discuss where to go, with the Black Cats, newly promoted Villarreal and Boca Juniors all fighting for his signature.
Whilst Di Canio is confident he will win the race to sign the Argentine, Premier League rules complicate things somewhat as Orban is co-owned by Tigre ad River Plate and therefore the Italian would have to negotiate a deal with both parties.
Sunderland are keen to sign a left-back as the return of on-loan defender Danny Rose to parent club Tottenham means the north east side have no recognised players in that position on their books.
Therefore Di Canio is hoping that Orban will come to the Stadium of Light to relieve their troubles, having just come off the back of a 45-match season in Argentina.
However, having just earned their place back in La Liga and with a history of promoting Argentinian players at the club – most notably Juan Roman Riquelme – Villarreal are also likely to be an attractive prospect for the defender as he is expected to make the move to Europe.
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