Sunderland are considering an offer from Ipswich for winger Jack Clarke, The Pitch Prospect has learned.
The bid for the right-footed left winger is £15 million plus bonuses, or around £20 million.
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The 23-year-old has already scored one goal and provided one assist in just two Championship games for the Black Cats this season.
Clarke was arguably the Championship’s most impressive star last season, scoring 16 goals and providing five assists.
After an incredible 25 goal involvements in League Two last year, Clarke is beginning to realise the potential that propelled him to stardom as a teenager.
Currently, Clarke is a talisman figure in an extremely young and talented Sunderland squad that includes Anthony Patterson, Chris Rigg, Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham.
With two years left on his contract, Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris has urged the player to stay at the Stadium Of Light.
He said: “I think his position with us is perfect.
“Let’s not change anything! Stay with us, develop further, because we need players like that.”
“I don’t know the rest. He is definitely an important player for us.”
Clarke came through Leeds’ youth ranks and joined Tottenham for £10 million in the summer of 2019. This saw him loaned back to the Yorkshire side for the 2019/20 season, but that deal was terminated early as the 18-year-old moved to QPR.
The winger, signed by Mauricio Pochettino, faced a daunting prospect when he moved to London a year later, when Jose Mourinho confronted him about his disappointing time at QPR before a friendly, saying: “Either you are shit, or QPR is shit. And we will find out today.”
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Clarke only played in four games for Spurs and initially moved to Sunderland on loan in January 2022. However, after the club’s promotion from League One to the Championship, he was loaned out permanently.
Since then, Clarke has scored 28 goals in 114 games for the Black Cats.
Ipswich have already been busy signing no fewer than 10 players this summer, including Armando Broja, Omari Hutchinson, Liam Delap and Sammie Szmodics, as well as a loan deal for Kalvin Phillips from Man City.
The Tractor Boys will be desperate to secure quality products as they look to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.