Sunderland have been given a glimmer of hope regarding the future of Jack Clarke.
Sunderland have some valuable assets within their ranks; perhaps none more so than Clarke.
The 23-year-old had blossomed since the Black Cats’ return to the Championship with 15 goals and four assists to his name this season.
It comes after a failed Premier League move with Spurs and several uneventful loan spells after, but with Sunderland, Clarke has really fund his footing.
Burnley and Lazio wanted to sign Jack Clarke at Sunderland
It’s no secret that Clarke has plenty of interest.
Last summer, Burnley tried and failed to sign Clarke, and in January, Italian giants Lazio wanted to bring in the former Leeds United man.
In a recent interview with The Northern Echo, Clarke’s agent Ian Harte revealed that Lazio offered close to £20million (including add-ons) for Clarke, which Sunderland still felt wasn’t enough for the winger.
Clarke is under contract until 2026 and so Sunderland are under no immediate pressure to sell, though a sale this coming summer has always seemed like the most likeliest outcome.
Jack Clarke could make Sunderland U-turn
Clarke has made no qualms about being kept at Sunderland, who’ve rejected bids from Burnley and Lazio now.
But Harte has been quite open in speaking about his client’s future, previously saying that he hopes Clarke gets his big move this summer.
Speaking to The Northern Echo, though, Harte has suggested that Clarke could yet stay at the Stadium of Light.
He also revealed that Clarke was open to signing a new deal with the Black Cats earlier this season but that negotiations broke down.
Harte said:
“Maybe in the summer that [previous contract talks] might change, we’ll have to wait and see. There’s always a chance. I would never close any door.
“Jack loves it at Sunderland Football Club so we’ll just have to wait and see what the next couple of months bring.”
Sunderland would do very well to keep Clarke
Clarke may well love playing for the club and so on, but it still seems highly unlikely he stays.
He now has the footballing world at his feet after another breakout season in the Championship, and with Sunderland without a permanent manager in place and plummeting down the table, Clarke will surely see his development better-served elsewhere.
And Kristjaan Speakman and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may well be very keen to finally cash in on Clarke.
Not only do they have a manager to find and potentially pay out of an existing contract, but they’ll also need to back their new manager in the transfer window with this current set of players not performing.
Not to mention that they’ll need to bring in someone to replace Clarke’s goals, with his recent absence from the team highlighting a huge lack of star quality and goals in the team.
So a summer exit remains likely despite Harte’s comments. But if nobody comes in with a reasonable offer then Clarke may well stay on Wearside for a bit longer.