Despite Real Betis being relegated at end of the last La Liga season, Alfred N'Diaye had a successful loan spell with the Spanish club in the second half of 2013/14, as he emerged as one of the few bright spots in a difficult campaign for the Andalusian club.

Their relegation to the Segunda Division has not deterred Betis from attempting to make N'Diaye's loan deal permanent with reports emerging from Spain suggesting that they have agreed a deal of around £1.2m with Sunderland for the Senegalese midfielder.

N'Diaye did make himself something of a crowd favourite at the Stadium of Light after signing from Turkish side Bursaspor but soon found himself sent out on loan to Eskisehirspor as new head coach Paolo Di Canio looked to build a new team. After Gus Poyet took over from the disastrous reign of Di Canio, there was hope that N'Diaye would still have a future at the club but that does not look to be the case, with the midfielder not featuring in the Uruguayan's plans.

Although Betis and Sunderland are believed to have agreed terms, the player's £20,000 per week wages are still a sticking point in negotiations with the Spanish club currently offering the player in the region of £12,000 per week and they will also need to convince N'Diaye to drop down into the Spanish second division.

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