Crystal Palace and Brighton have joined Burnley and three other Premier League clubs in their pursuit of Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, but TEAMtalk understands that Tottenham might be the big beneficiaries.
Clarke has emerged as one of the best players in the Championship in the last 12 months, propelling Sunderland into the top six last season before their play-off hopes were dashed in the semi-finals against eventual winners Luton Town. Indeed, he concluded the 2022/23 season with an excellent score of nine goals and 12 assists from 47 appearances, attracting lots of summer interest.
Sunderland, on the other hand, stood firm, with Clarke sticking put and refusing to allow the disappointment of returning to the Premier League hold him back.
Clarke is the league’s joint top scorer with seven goals from 11 games, and the 22-year-old was voted the Championship’s Player of the Month for September.
But, after signing a permanent agreement with Sunderland last year after a loan spell with Tottenham, the club is facing an increasingly difficult battle to keep its star player.
To that aim, the Black Cats turned down bids of more than £10 million in the summer, while Burnley failed to finalize a deal despite several attempts to sign him. We understand that the proposals were insufficient to entice Tony Mowbray’s side to sell, especially with a condition entitling Tottenham to a significant cut of any future sale.
Tottenham to benefit from Jack Clarke sale
At present, it appears that Tottenham is poised to benefit as several clubs, in addition to Burnley, are considering making moves for Jack Clarke in the upcoming January transfer window.
While Burnley remains interested, we have learned that numerous other Premier League teams are also gearing up to pursue Clarke in January. Crystal Palace and Brighton, in particular, have been closely monitoring Clarke’s performance since last season and are now ready to express their interest.
Furthermore, Brentford, Wolves, and Bournemouth have been keeping an eye on Clarke this season, although it seems less likely that they will make a move at this stage.
Sunderland has reportedly placed a £20 million valuation on Clarke, and his Premier League suitors are prepared to initiate the bidding at £15 million.
Tottenham’s share of a future sale has not been officially disclosed, but it could potentially be as high as 50%. This means that any transfer involving Clarke would help mitigate some of the losses Tottenham incurred when they initially purchased him from Leeds for £10 million in the summer of 2019.
It’s worth noting that Clarke left Tottenham permanently in the summer of 2022 after making only four appearances for the club.
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