Sunderland’s January transfer target Alex Cochrane has signed a new deal with Brighton and Hove Albion, as announced by their official club website.
The left-back has penned a fresh contract until 2022 with the Premier League side.
Cochrane, who is 21 years old, was wanted by Sunderland in the last transfer window and they tried to ‘set up’ a loan deal for the youngster, as reported by the Northern Echo.
However, the Black Cats couldn’t bring him to League One in the end.
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Cochrane has spent this past season on loan in Belgium with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise but has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with injury.
Brighton’s loan manager David Weir has said: “Alex had a really good experience out in Belgium with Union and, as he’s spoken about, it has been really beneficial for both him as a person and as a footballer.
“While that development was curtailed slightly by injury, he showed how well he can adjust and learn during his time out on loan, which is a testament to him, especially during the pandemic. I am pleased to see he will be continuing his development with us.”
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Cochrane has risen up through the youth ranks at Brighton and was handed his first-team debut in an EFL Cup clash against Aston Villa in September 2019.
He then made another senior appearance in the same competition against Preston North End.
The England youth international will remain with Brighton for another 12 months at least and it will be interesting to see if Sunderland’s target from January heads out on loan again next season.