Sunderland star Jack Clarke is at the centre of widespread transfer speculation, with the Premier League looking his like his likeliest destination.
Jack Clarke, 23, is linked with multiple Premier League clubs following his standout 2023/24 season with Sunderland in the Championship.
The former Leeds United and Spurs youngster scored 15 goals in the second tier and was named Sunderland’s Player of the Season.
Now after two full seasons as a permanent player at the Stadium of Light, and with two more years left on his current deal, it looks as though Clarke might be leaving Wearside this summer.
Several Premier League teams are said to be very interested in signing Clarke including Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Wolves.
Though there’s debate regarding the price tag; reports have claimed that Sunderland want as little as £18million, whilst others claim up to £30million.
Southampton could perform transfer U-turn in race to sign Jack Clarke at Sunderland
Recently, it was claimed that Southampton were backing away from a potential summer move for Clarke, because of an apparent £18million price tag.
Since, it’s been claimed by The Northern Echo that Southampton have retained a ‘strong interest’ in Clarke, after first being linked with the York-born winger at the start of 2024.
The same report also claimed that contract talks between Clarke and Sunderland have hit an ‘impasse’, suggesting that Sunderland may prefer a sale of Clarke during this summer’s transfer window.
In 112 total appearances for Sunderland, Clarke has 27 goals and 22 assists.
One thing seems certain for Sunderland and Jack Clarke
Clarke was widely expected to leave Sunderland last summer. But no offer met their valuation, so he stayed.
Now with contract talks at an apparent impasse and clubs seemingly wary of going beyond the £20million mark for Clarke, it looks like Sunderland and Kristjaan Speakman may have to drop their price tag, if they want to sell Clarke this summer.
Either way, one thing is certain; Clarke doesn’t view his long-term future at Sunderland, which is understandable given his potential and Sunderland’s struggles last season.
Seemingly, the only way Sunderland could get Clarke to sign a new deal is if the club earns promotion next season, which may be a stretch for Regis Le Bris in his first season at the club.
If Clarke moves on this summer though, he’ll net the club a tidy profit and it could give Speakman and co some spending money in what is a huge summer transfer window for the Black Cats.
