Sunderland are set to sanction the temporary departure of Anthony Patterson from the Stadium of Light.

What's the talk?

That's according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Notts County are closing in on a move for the 21-year-old goalkeeper, who looks set to join the National League side on a season-long loan deal.

In his tweet, Nixon said: "Notts County. Signing keeper Patterson from Sunderland on loan."

Good news for Sunderland

It is undeniable that Patterson is a goalkeeper who boasts plenty of potential, but with Lee Johnson signing Bayern Munich's Ron-Thorben Hoffmann in the summer transfer window, as well as already having Lee Burge in his ranks, loaning out the 21-year-old would appear to be a smart move by the Black Cats.

Indeed, Patterson impressed over his two League One appearances so far this season, with the youngster keeping one clean sheet, conceding one goal and making four saves.

These returns saw the £600-per-week 'keeper average a SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking the 21-year-old as the Black Cats' eighth-best performer in the third tier of English football - albeit with a limited sample size of fixtures.

The player who Johnson himself dubbed an "excellent" talent also turned in impressive displays in each of his two appearances in the Carabao Cup, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.05 in the competition.

As such, it is clear that Patterson is a goalkeeper who has the ability to one day become the Mackems' first choice in the position. However, with both Hoffmann and Burge ahead of the 21-year-old in the pecking order, a loan move to a club where he will more than likely receive ample game-time this season is certainly the most beneficial decision for his development as a player, and should duly be good news for the future of the club.

In other news: Johnson drops injury update on "outstanding" 20 y/o, Sunderland fans will be buzzing