Sunderland have been handed a major boost in their bid to bring Vito Mannone back to the Stadium of Light this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Roker Report, who claim that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has held discussions with AS Monaco regarding a move for the 33-year-old goalkeeper, who is believed to be keen on a return to Wearside.

The report goes on to state that, while a deal is not thought to be imminent, the Black Cats' interest in the former Italy U21 international is ongoing as we enter the closing stages of the summer transfer window.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how much of a fan favourite Mannone was during his first spell at Sunderland, in addition to the fact the shot-stopper is undoubtedly a quality option in the position for a League One side, fans of the club will be buzzing to hear their club are interested in a deal for the Italian.

Despite having been a bit-part player following his move from Reading to Moncao last summer - making just nine Ligue 1 appearances last term - in the goalkeeper's last full season with the Royals, the £5.5k-per-week man demonstrated he is still more than capable of doing a job between the sticks.

Indeed, over his 41 Championship appearances in Reading's 2017/18 campaign, the £720k-rated 'keeper kept eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 3.1 saves and conceding just 1.4 goals per game.

These returns saw the man the former Black Cats manager Sam Allardyce dubbed a "crucial" player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.77, ranking him as the club's 15th-best performer in the league that season.

As such, while this campaign was admittedly a little while ago now, his displays would nevertheless suggest that Mannone still has much to offer in the third tier of English football, while his presence at the club alone, regardless of how much he will feature, would surely delight the Mackems fanbase.

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