Sunderland are said to be lining up a summer transfer move for Chelsea goalkeeper Nathan Baxter, with Football Insider reporting that the Black Cats are keen on a permanent or loan deal for the 22-year-old.

The young shot stopper recently returned to Stamford Bridge after taking in a season on loan with Accrington Stanley in Sky Bet League One, with the player making 18 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Now it appears that Lee Johnson's side could be interested in bringing the London born keeper to the Stadium of Light this summer, with the club said to be in the market for a keeper as they look to provide competition for Lee Burge between the sticks.

Baxter has been with Chelsea since the younger years of his career and has also spent time out on loan at Woking, Yeovil Town, Solihull Moors and Ross County.

The keeper is currently under contract with the newly crowned champions of Europe until the summer of 2023.

The Verdict 

This would be a good addition for the future by Sunderland if they could pull off a deal for the 22-year-old as he still has a lot of years of development left ahead of him as a goalkeeper.

He performed well during his spell on loan at Accrington Stanley and now has great experience of what the division is like.

Burge isn't getting any younger and the need for a good back up option between the sticks is there for all to see as Johnson looks at his options this summer.

Whether Chelsea would be open to letting the player leave on a permanent basis or not remains to be seen, with a loan spell being another good option for the Black Cats to explore if they are really serious about bringing Baxter to the club.