Sunderland are interested in a deal to bring Stephen O'Donnell to the Stadium of Light this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Football League World, who claim that Lee Johnson's side are ready to make a move for the Motherwell right-back in the summer transfer window, with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus holding the belief that a deal would cost the Black Cats less than £500k.

The League One side have been linked with a number of players in the 29-year-old's position in recent weeks, most notably Nottingham Forest's Jordan Gabriel.

However, with Blackpool also thought to be keen on the 22-year-old, Sunderland now look to have turned their attention in the market towards the Scotland international, who has two years left to run on his contract at Fir Park.

Major coup

Considering just how short Johnson's squad currently is in options at right-back, in addition to how impressive the Motherwell captain has been for both his club and country in recent seasons, it is unsurprising to learn of Sunderland's interest in a move for O'Donnell.

Indeed, over his 34 Scottish Premiership appearances for Graham Alexander's side last term, the £810k-rated man helped his side keep 11 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, two clearances and winning 4.5 duels per game.

The defender also helped his side out in an attacking capacity, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.9 key passes per match.

These returns saw the £1.2k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.73, with his performances playing a key role in his club securing survival in the top flight of Scottish football.

This league form saw O'Donnell earn a call up to Steve Clarke's Scotland side for Euro 2020 this summer, with the 29-year-old highly impressing for his country, most notably in the 0-0 draw with England.

In the stalemate, the right-back made two tackles, one clearance, two key passes and won three duels, seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.2 - the second-best of any Scotland player on the day.

As such, it would certainly appear as if the defender would be quite a major coup for the Black Cats ahead of the new League One season, leading us to believe Louis-Dreyfus should do all he can to get a deal over the line for O'Donnell in the coming days.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops two-word Sunderland transfer update that will have fans buzzing