Jack Clarke's situation at Sunderland as Leeds United circle: Everything we know right now | OneFootball

FLW round up all the latest transfer news and headlines coming out of Sunderland regarding Leeds United target Jack Clarke.

Jack Clarke is on Leeds United's transfer radar but any move for the Sunderland player is likely to be an ambitious one given the vast Premier League interest in the winger.

Clarke came through the academy system at Leeds before signing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, making the switch to London for an initial £8.5 million. But he ultimately made the move to Sunderland in 2022 after failing to make the grade with Spurs, and has gone on to become a key part of their side in the Championship over the last two seasons.

Sunderland know that it is more than likely they will be saying farewell to Clarke at the end of the season, and have him to thank for plenty of their recent success, with the player developing rapidly at the Stadium of Light over the last few years.

So much so, that he is arguably one of the two best left-wingers in the division from last season, alongside Leeds' since departed Crysencio Summerville. Clarke's form has continued into this season with a goal and an assist in the opening two league fixtures, and he has become the key talismanic figure in both a goal-scoring and creative sense for the Black Cats.

Sunderland's main man is a force of nature at times, having developed rapidly in a red and white shirt. His fast dribbling, ball carrying, and decisiveness make him a threat when attacking the box in the half-spaces, which is why he has caught the eye of so many in the league above the second tier, with Sunderland somewhat at the mercy of Premier League sharks.

Here, we wrap up all the latest regarding Jack Clarke's future, including the most up to date news and rumours, as well as his contractual situation at the Stadium of Light.

Premier League interest in Jack Clarke

The interest is too vast to be ignored, and he has been their best player for the better part of a year-and-a-half now, highlighting his need to have another shot at the top-flight in the near future, where there has been plenty of interest in the last year.

He was perhaps a player to build the club's future around but won't be playing Championship football for more than another season, you would suspect. During the summer of 2023, it was reported that Sunderland rejected a bid of £10 million from then newly promoted Burnley for the winger.

In January, they managed to keep hold of Clarke but turned down a second bid from Italian outfit Lazio, according to the Sunderland Echo. The Rome-based outfit submitted at least two offers for the winger, after seeing a first proposal worth €16 million (£13.1 million) rejected.

Reports from late on in the 2023/24 campaign emerged adding further speculation regarding his future at the Stadium of Light. According to Football Insider, the Black Cats believe it will be extremely difficult to hold onto the 23-year-old beyond this summer. The Sunderland star is, unsurprisingly, attracting interest from several top-flight clubs, including West Ham and Brentford.

He attracted the interest of David Moyes in January when the Scot was in charge of West Ham, and it seems as though his replacement, Julen Lopetegui, is also a fan of the wide attacker. On top of that, the Northern Echo revealed that Clarke has emerged as a ‘key target’ for Southampton.

Whilst, according to HITC, Crystal Palace have eyed him previously, prior to the signing of Ismaïla Sarr. The south London-based club have looked at the Sunderland man and Leeds counterpart Wilfried Gnonto, as potential replacements for Michael Olise in the past.

Southampton have retained their interest in him, according to Sunderland Echo journalist James Copley, who also believes that Ipswich Town's interest in the winger is also genuine. But any side that wants to get a deal over the line for the Black Cats' star will need to pay at least £25 million for him, according to Copley.

There is very little chance of Sunderland being able to fend off offers over a certain amount in spite of how crucial he is and how much the club and fans would like to retain him. The funds raised should help to improve Sunderland in multiple areas, and, hopefully for them, in the aggregate as well. Although leaving things so late in the window feels inherently risky as well.

Leeds are another side who are reportedly interested. They are "well aware" of the situation of their former academy graduate, who made his senior career debut for the Whites in 2018, according to journalist Mike McGrath.

However, the Yorkshire Evening Post have stated that a top-flight switch is more likely for the 23-year-old winger with less than two weeks to go of the transfer window, despite Leeds holding interest in their academy graduate to replace new West Ham signing Summerville.

They report that a bid in excess of £20 million for Clarke is likely to make the Black Cats think twice about cashing in this summer - whether that be that from Leeds or the Premier League.

Joe Donnohue believes that a move is unlikely at this stage for Clarke to return to Elland Road, but that a switch to Leeds cannot be ruled out, and that's down to whether Premier League interest materialises in the form of a concrete approach or one deemed sufficient by Sunderland between now and the transfer deadline.

Graeme Bailey has also confirmed that Leeds are in the mix to sign Clarke this summer, should he leave Sunderland before next week’s deadline. The journalist believes that Clarke would welcome a return to Elland Road, but the West Yorkshire outfit face competition in the race to his signature.

“They are in the mix for Jack Clarke and [I’m] told the player would be happy to move to Elland Road, but there is a lot of interest – the player is expecting to leave Sunderland this month,” said Bailey, via TBR Football. The issue is regarding the fee, as TEAMtalk report that the Black Cats will be looking for a fee similar to the one Leeds received for the sale of Summerville.

However, Ipswich may have stolen a march on the Whites, having firmed up there interest by making a bid in excess of £15 million for Clarke, according to Martin Hardy of The Times.

Not only is Clarke reported to be open to a move to Leeds, but he has rejected a new contract from Sunderland amid interest from Southampton and Leeds, according to Football Insider.

Towards the end of last season, his agent, Ian Harte, revealed all about the negotiations. Speaking via iNews, he revealed that he doesn't believe that his client will sign a new deal with the club:

"There’s not many people know this but in Jack’s contract he had to play a few games at the start of this season to then get offered a new deal," said Harte.

"There was a deal that was offered but it wasn’t good enough. We were happy to sign a deal but that was earlier on in the summer time and it hasn’t been revisited.

"They have a [wage] structure. Lots of clubs have that. I don’t think [Sunderland] want to break any structure for any football player, so I can’t see it happening, no."

The 23-year-old's contract expires in 2026 and with this in mind, the current window may be the best opportunity for the Black Cats to secure a big fee for him.

Not only does his contractual situation hurt Sunderland, but GMS have added that Spurs' sell-on clause for the 15-goal man stands at 25% rather than 40%, meaning that they will miss out on some of whatever fee they do sell him for this summer.

Should Leeds or Ipswich win the race to sign him, that will no doubt influence the deal they are able to strike, with Sunderland no doubt asking for enough to make enough profit to be aggressive in the market, even if Spurs take a cut of the profits.