New Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is set to make Paraguay defender Paulo Da Silva his first signing.
The 29-year-old is available on a free transfer after seeing out his contract at Mexican club Deportivo Toluca, and Bruce is ready to lure him to the Stadium of Light.
Da Silva has 53 caps for Paraguay, who top the South American World Cup qualifying group.
Toluca have confirmed they were not able to compete with Sunderland’s offer for the centre-back.
"The English team’s offer was not within our reach," read a Toluca club statement.
Da Silva is expected to travel to England next week to tie up the move and he is excited at the prospect of playing for the Black Cats.
"First of all I want to thank the Deportivo Toluca for the effort they made and for giving me the opportunity to fulfil a dream, which is playing in Europe, it is certainly an important step in my football career," Da Silva told Toulca’s official website.
Da Silva was captain of Toluca and led the club to the Apertura title in 2008, where he was voted the best player of the tournament. 
Sun, Jul 5, 2009
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