Sunderland are in talks regarding a deal to bring Jordan Gabriel to the Stadium of Light this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by The Northern Echo, who claim that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has held talks with Nottingham Forest regarding a deal for the right-back, for whom Chris Hughton's side are reported to be demanding a fee of £600,000.

The report added that the Black Cats are also pushing to secure a deal for Exeter City winger Josh Key, although there had been no progress in talks over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Lee Johnson recently fielded questions regarding Sunderland's summer transfer business, stating: "We're working really hard behind the scenes and a lot of that is to put yourself in a position where you've got the options. They're [Gabriel and Key] not our players and so I can't talk about them, as you know."

KLD must move for Gabriel

Considering just how much potential Gabriel appears to possess, and with Johnson hugely lacking in depth at right-back, Louis-Dreyfus must do all he can to secure a deal for the Nottingham Forest starlet ahead of next season.

Indeed, over his 29 League One appearances while on loan at Blackpool last term, the £225k-rated defender helped his side to keep ten clean sheets, averaging 0.8 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 1.5 clearances and winning 4.6 duels per game (Sofascore).

The man who Blackpool Gazette journalist Matt Scrafton dubbed an "important" player also impressed going forwards, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, along with averaging 0.7 key passes per match.

These returns saw the £1.2k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.75, playing a key role in the Seasiders' promotion to the Championship.

As such, with Sunderland harbouring their own hopes of securing a return to the second tier next season, the addition of a player with experience of getting his team over the line could increase the Black Cats' chances of going on to achieve the feat in the upcoming campaign.

In other news: Imagine him & O'Nien: KLD could solve big Sunderland problem with "faultless" £4k-p/w beast