THOMAS SORENSEN was last night on the verge of a £2.25m move to Aston Villa as Sunderland's summer sale gathered momentum.

With Jody Craddock expected to undergo a medical at Wolverhampton Wanderers today before completing a £1.75m switch, Sunderland prepared to bid farewell to Sorensen.

And despite claims from Villa yesterday that a cash wrangle between Sorensen and Sunderland was holding up the deal, the Nationwide League new boys were privately confident that it would go through shortly.

A Sunderland spokesperson said: "Thomas Sorensen's transfer to Aston Villa is an ongoing process, although we have reached an agreement over a £2.25m fee.

"Certain aspects of the transfer are quite complex, and for this reason we are still in discussions."

That statement came after Villa had said 27-year-old Sorensen was still owed money by Sunderland.

When Sorensen agrees to move to the Midlands, his sale will alleviate the Black Cats' crippling financial position still further after Villa also spent £2.25m on Gavin McCann last week.

With Bernt Haas having joined West Bromwich Albion this month and Craddock's departure imminent, Mick McCarthy will soon have brought in almost £7m to take a chunk out of the club's £26m-plus debt.

He has also slashed the Stadium of Light wage bill, enabling him at last to consider bringing in reinforcements to the squad ahead of the arduous First Division season.

McCarthy is still interested in Colin Healy and Gary Breen, though the delay in reducing his playing staff has led to him missing out on a number of other targets.

Sorensen has repeatedly stated his determination to remain in the Premiership after Sunderland's ignominious relegation in the spring.

He was stripped of the No 1 shirt by McCarthy for the new campaign in a move that confirmed the Dane was heading for the Stadium of Light exit.

Manchester United and Arsenal have been long-term admirers of Sorensen, but their purchases of Tim Howard and Jens Lehmann respectively ruled them out of the chase.

Birmingham City and Manchester City were also interested in Sorensen, but Villa's David O'Leary was the only manager to lodge an offer for the player.

Craddock's agent met Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey yesterday to discuss personal terms after Sunderland agreed a fee for the defender on Tuesday. His exit opens the door for centre-backs Phil Babb, Joachim Bjorklund and Emerson Thome - all of whom were given free transfers at the end of last season - to extend their Stadium of Light careers.

Meanwhile, Sunderland will refuse to let Middlesbrough sign Kevin Phillips on the cheap as Boro continue to ponder a cut-price move for the striker.

Massimo Maccarone's ankle injury has forced Steve McClaren to reconsider adding to his strikeforce, with Phillips at the top of his wanted list.

But Sunderland are understood to want around £4m for their most prized asset - and Middlesbrough are currently prepared to offer less than half that amount.

As the closure of the transfer window nears, Boro are banking on Sunderland having to swallow hard and accept a small bid just to get the want-away Phillips off the wage bill.

The former England international has not played during the pre-season programme, indicating that McCarthy is resigned to losing him. But Sunderland remain adamant they will not budge from their asking price for Phillips, despite the collapse of the transfer market and the paucity of clubs who have expressed an interest