Vito Mannone will have to wait until September before he is able to extend his stay with Sunderland.
The 26-year old Italian goalkeeper signed a two-year contract with the Black Cats in the summer, crossing from Arsenal, and has made himself first choice at the Stadium of Light in his debut campaign.
Sunderland have made no secret of the fact they want to keep Mannone, who is contracted until June 2015, but manager Gus Poyet insists he will have to wait until a number of un-contracted players are sorted first.
"I think Vito knows that we've got eight who are out of contract and loan players, so he'll have to wait until September," he told the Sunderland Echo.
"That's natural."
Mannone has made 23 appearances in the Premier League this season and was also an integral part of Sunderland's run to the Capital One Cup final which ended in defeat to Manchester City in early March.
