Sunderland 'set Jack Clarke asking price amid Burnley, West Ham United interest'

Sunderland are reportedly prepared to sell Jack Clarke for £20m during this summer's transfer window, amid interest from Burnley and West Ham United.

The 23-year-old has been a standout performer for the Black Cats in the Championship this term, netting 15 goals and providing four assists in 33 second-tier matches.

Despite the efforts of Clarke, Sunderland are losing ground in the race for a top-six finish, suffering three-straight defeats recently after losing to Swansea City on the weekend.

A first-half brace from Ronald Pereira sent the Swans back to South Wales with all three points, leaving the North-East club eight points behind sixth-placed Hull City.

According to Football Insider, Clarke is hopeful that Sunderland do not prevent his move away from the Stadium of Light ahead of the 2024-25 term.

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It is understood that the only feasible way for the Black Cats to retain the services of the attacker is to earn promotion to the Premier League.

Sunderland have won just one of their last five Championship matches, with Michael Beale losing his spot in the managerial hotseat following the defeat at Tony Mowbray's Birmingham City on February 17.

The report claims that Premier League trio West Ham, Crystal Palace and Burnley are all keen on securing the services of Clarke during the summer.

Oliver Glasner's Eagles have gained a reputation of nurturing talent from the EFL, including key first-team stars Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise.

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Vincent Kompany's Clarets were said to have submitted a £15m bid for Clarke last summer, although Sunderland were keen to keep hold of the former Tottenham Hotspur youngster.

The hotly-contested fight for the signature of the winger continued into the January window, supposedly, with Serie A outfit Lazio making a £14m offer for the Englishman's services.

It is believed that Clarke would desire a transfer away should the Black Cats be unable to achieve promotion from the Championship under Mike Dodds this season.

Aiming to avoid four-straight losses in the second tier, Clarke and Sunderland will make the trip to face top-six hopefuls Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.

Written by
Carter White