Following a stunning run of results in League One earlier this year, it seemed as if Sunderland were about to finally secure promotion to the second-tier.
However, a lack of consistency during the closing months of the previous campaign eventually culminated in the Black Cats suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Lincoln City in the play-offs.
Whilst Sunderland have since decided to part ways with a host of players who ultimately failed to live up to expectations during their respective spells at the Stadium of Light, manager Lee Johnson is unsurprisingly desperate to keep Aiden McGeady at the club.
A stand-out performer for the Black Cats last season, the winger provided 17 assists for his team-mates in all competitions and also chipped in with six goals.
As a result of these eye-catching displays, Sunderland officially announced their intention of extending McGeady's stay by revealing last month that they had offered him a new contract.
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The winger decided to waive his rights to an automatic one-year extension to his current deal last month in order to play in the second-leg of his club's semi-final clash with Lincoln.
It is understood that these particular terms would have guaranteed McGeady a weekly wage believed to be in the region of £19,000.
In a fresh update concerning the 35-year-old's future, it has now been revealed that Sunderland have made a breakthrough in negotiations.
According to the Sunderland Echo, McGeady is close to signing a new deal with the club as both parties are now confident that an agreement can be reached in the coming weeks.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
This is fantastic news for Sunderland as it would have unquestionably been a major blow to lose McGeady this summer and thus their supporters will be delighted to hear that he is willing to stay.
Despite being in the twilight of his career, the winger has shown no signs of slowing down as he illustrated last season that he is more than capable of thriving at this level.
As well providing an abundance of creativity, McGeady recorded a club-high average WhoScored match rating of 7.39 in the third-tier.
The winger also ranked in the top-five at Sunderland for shots per game (2.2) successful dribbles (1.9 per match) and key passes (2.5 per game).
Providing that he is able to replicate this consistency during the upcoming campaign, there is no reason why McGeady cannot go on to play a major role in helping his side secure promotion to the Championship in 2022.
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