Sunderland star Jack Clarke is at the centre of widespread transfer speculation, with the Premier League looking his like his likeliest destination.
The former Leeds United and Tottenham young player won Sunderland’s Player of the Season after scoring 15 goals in the second division.
With two years remaining on his present contract and two whole seasons as a regular player at the Stadium of Light, it appears that Clarke may be leaving Wearside this summer.
Clarke is reportedly being pursued by a number of Premier League teams, including Wolves, Southampton, and Crystal Palace.
There is disagreement on the asking amount, with some claiming Sunderland wants as little as £18 million and others as much as £30 million.
Southampton could perform transfer U-turn in race to sign Jack Clarke at Sunderland
It was recently reported that Southampton was pulling out of a possible summer transfer for Clarke due to an alleged £18 million price tag.
After first being linked to the York-born winger at the beginning of 2024, The Northern Echo has since claimed that Southampton has maintained a “strong interest” in Clarke.
According to the same source, negotiations over Clarke’s contract have reached a “impasse,” raising the possibility that Sunderland might prefer to sell Clarke during the summer transfer season.
Clarke has made 112 appearances for Sunderland overall, tallying 27 goals and 22 assists.
One thing seems certain for Sunderland and Jack Clarke
It was widely anticipated that Clarke would depart Sunderland throughout the summer. However, no offer was as good as their appraisal, so he stayed.
Now that contract negotiations appear to be at a standstill and teams appear hesitant to pay more than £20 million for Clarke, it appears like Sunderland and Kristjaan Speakman may need to lower their asking price in order to offload Clarke this summer.
In any case, one thing is for sure: Clarke doesn’t see himself staying at Sunderland in the long run, which makes sense considering his potential and the club’s difficulties from the previous campaign.
It seems like Sunderland’s only chance of convincing Clarke to sign a new contract is if the team is promoted the next year, which might be difficult for Regis Le Bris to accomplish in his first year with the team.
However, if Clarke leaves this summer, the team will make a nice profit, which may provide Speakman and company with some spending cash during the Black Cats’ busy summer transfer window.
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