Sunderland have been handed a boost to their chances of keeping Elliot Embleton at the Stadium of Light this summer.

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 Blackpool have not, at present, made a second bid for the Black Cats midfielder.

It was previously reported that Neil Critchley had instructed his transfer team to do all they can to secure the services of the 22-year-old in the summer market, although the Seasiders appear to have seen an initial offer for the former England U20 international rejected.

Meanwhile, Sunderland are thought to be desperate to keep hold of Embleton, with Lee Johnson claiming that he will look to give the youngster plenty of game time in the club's upcoming campaign.

And, after a fan asked Nixon whether or not Blackpool had returned with an improved offer for the midfielder, the journalist said: "Not yet."

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Embleton was while on loan at Blackpool last season, the fact that it appears the 22-year-old could remain at the Stadium of Light beyond the summer is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 30 League One appearances for Critchley's team last term, the £4.3k-per-week man scored two goals, registered four assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.7 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

The midfielder also turned in impressive numbers more typical of his position, making an average of 1.1 tackles, winning possession 0.5 times and triumphing in 2.3 duels per match.

These returns saw the man Max Power dubbed as "technically one of the best players I've seen" earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the Seasiders' 12th-best performer in the third tier of English football - playing a key role in the club securing promotion to the Championship.

As such, with Johnson hoping to mastermind a promotion of his own with Sunderland next season, the return of a player who boasts as much potential as Embleton, as well as one who managed the feat while on loan last term, would certainly appear to give the 40-year-old's chances of achieving his target a huge boost.

In other news: Get it done: KLD must seal swoop for "important" £1.2k-p/w gem, SAFC have opened talks