Sunderland's reported move for the Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt would make a lot of sense for all parties, according to journalist Luke Edwards.

What's the latest?

Reports from Sky Sports have suggested the Black Cats are set to bring in Gelhardt on a short-term loan until the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

This comes amid the 20-year-old's struggles in Jesse Marsch's Leeds side this season with a severe lack of game time coming from the starting XI.

It is believed the Wearside club have beaten off a number of other Championship sides to the youngster's signature - including Wigan Athletic.

And speaking on BBC's Transfer Gossip Daily, Edwards has suggested this is a move which should prove beneficial for all the parties involved:

(7:20) "Tony Mowbray, the manager, has really proven track record of developing young players as well. As say Sunderland have got this model [using young players]. They've got Diallo from Manchester United. He's done really, really well for them on loan."

"So I think this move is almost the ideal loan move because it really helps Leeds find out what sort of player he is and hopefully he comes back more prepared for the first team. And it really helps Sunderland and they're getting a really exciting young player so makes a lot of sense to me."

Another young prospect

Tony Mowbray is certainly being given a number of young prospects to work with this season and so far it is seemingly paying off with the likes of Amad Diallo shining at the Stadium of Light.

Since joining in the summer, the Ivorian has provided the Black Cats with a return of seven goals and an assist in the Championship (via Transfermarkt).

And this will surely be what Leeds will have considered when looking through the potential destinations for Gelhardt this month.

The 20-year-old forward has only made one start for Leeds in the Premier League this season but he has provided two assists across his 201 minutes on the pitch (via Transfermarkt).

It was last season where the youngster began to make his mark in the Premier League after providing the Whites with two goals and four assists in just 732 minutes of football in the top flight.

But his footballing ability aside, a move up north to Sunderland will provide Gelhardt with a great opportunity to develop given their current philosophy of putting trust in young players.

Adding to that, the move is only an hour and a half up the A19 which could prove a factor for the youngster given his tender age.

Having shown he can be a threat in the Premier League, there will be eyes on Gelhardt to see if he can flex his muscles in the second-tier.

However, it will be interesting to see where Gelhardt could slot into this Sunderland side with the likes of Diallo and Ross Stewart establishing themselves as some of the first names on the team sheet.