Nick Barnes has fired a warning at Sunderland over their asking price for Jack Clarke.
Jack Clarke joined Sunderland on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in 2022, before signing permanently months later.
It has always been unclear how much the Black Cats paid for Clarke, but fans scoffed at some of the fees that were flying around.
It certainly seems a solid investment now though, with Sunderland likely to rake in an eight-figure fee for the winger.
Clarke has bagged 40 goal contributions over the last two seasons in the Championship, and has since attracted interest from a long list of Premier League clubs.
While the likes of West Ham and Brentford are said to be interested, he was also the subject of two bids from Lazio in January.
With Sunderland yet to tie him down to a new contract, many fans are resigned to him leaving in the summer.
It is believed that the club will demand a very high fee for his exit though, with two years still remaining on the 23-year-old’s contract.
While reports have claimed they willdemand £20 million plus if they are to part ways with Clarke, Nick Barnes has admitted that he doesn’t think they will make that.
Sunderland won’t make £20m from Jack Clarke exit
When asked whether Sunderland will have to sell to buy players onBBC Total Sport, Barnes said: “I think it is genuine. My worry is that they will have to sell three or four players to raise money to buy better quality players than the three or four that have left the club in a market that I think will be depressed this summer.
“I don’t think Sunderland will get £20m for Jack Clarke, I think it’ll be closer to £15m… and that’s the star player.
“If Ballard was to go, it wouldn’t be for that sort of money. You might break lucky and get £30m for two players. They lose one or two others, they might get another £10-15m… you’re talking about £45m. But what is £45m going to buy you this summer?”
Our summer success could depend on managerial appointment
If Nick Barnes believes we could lose three of our key players for only £45m at the end of the season, then we could be in big trouble.
Tempting players to join Sunderland should have been very easy after our miraculous first campaign back in the Championship last time out, but our summer window didn’t go quite as planned.
This time round, we are going to have to directly replace the likes of our Clarkes and Ballards with the money we make from their departures, as spare cash doesn’t seem to be something we have at the minute.
It is a concerning time for a Sunderland fan, but it could all change depending on who we bring in as manager – hopefully in the next few weeks.
If it is someone young, exciting and alluring, then perhaps we could be onto a winner. Another Michael Beale though, may dig us an even deeper hole.