Sunderland and Aberdeen have reportedly reached an agreement over a compensation package for Dons manager Derek McInnes, which will allow the Black Cats to enter talks with the Scotsman in the hopes of announcing him as their new manager in the coming days.
McInnes has remained the frontrunner for the Sunderland job for some time
The 45-year-old has been linked with the Wearside club for several weeks, and has been the frontrunner for the vacant managerial position since the resignation of David Moyes following their relegation from the Premier League.
Aberdeen's new major shareholder, Dave Cormack, has claimed however that McInnes is "extremely happy" at the Dons and has assured fans that he will "move heaven and earth" to keep the former Bristol City boss at the club.
Cormack did concede that if McInnes were to set his sights on a move to Sunderland then it would be unhealthy to force him to remain in Scotland, saying that "forcing somebody to stay doesn't work for anyone".
Scotsman has enjoyed a successful spell at Pittodrie
Cormack had initially told BBC Scotland that the Black Cats had not met the compensation terms desired by Aberdeen, although that situation has now changed with the fee thought to be around the £1million mark.
Despite struggling in the Championship with the Robins, leading to his sacking in January 2013 after avoiding relegation in the season prior, McInnes has enjoyed some success in Aberdeen as he secured the Dons' first domestic trophy in 18 years via the Scottish League Cup in 2013/14.
The Scotsman also led the Dons to both domestic cup finals last season as well as a third consecutive second-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership, although they were beaten in both cup finals by Brendan Rodgers' Celtic.
It seems as if the winds of change are circling around Wearside of late, with McInnes' imminent arrival, providing talks go smoothly, in conjunction with a rumoured approach from a German consortium to purchase the club potentially signalling a new era for the club.