Wolves ready to make transfer £30m transfer decision on Sunderland star

Wolves have emerged as the latest club interested in signing Sunderland’s Jack Clarke with the asking price reckoned to have gone up. The Premier League outfit have joined a growing list of admirers of Clarke, who is sure to move this summer despite the arrival of Regis Le Bris as head coach at the Stadium of Light.

Clarke, 23, was superb for Sunderland last season up until his injury late in the campaign, scoring 15 goals and assisting four more in 40 appearances. The former Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur man has had Premier League suitors for the past year now with Burnley having seen bids rejected for Clarke last summer.

There was reportedly interest in Clarke once again in January with Lazio linked with a surprise move, as well as reports that Crystal Palace and West Ham were both interested. Leicester City are also said to be in the frame. Clarke is expected to leave this summer and the club are ready to cash in on one of their prize assets. He is contracted until 2026.

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Now, with Wolves joining the race for Clarke’s signature, a new and improved price tag has been revealed too.

Reports revealed that Wolves are unwilling to spend more than £20m which was the original price quoted as being the figure Sunderland were willing to accept. That appears to have risen to between £25m and £30m which, in these days of inflated fees, seems more than reasonable for a player of Clarke’s ability.

Palace and West Ham are thought to have retained an interest in Clarke – Palace especially after losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich. After managing to keep clubs at arms length last summer, the Black Cats saw Clarke put in another tremendous campaign and it seems highly unlikely the club won’t sell him this time around, especially with just two years to run on his current deal.

If they delayed a year, the price would likely come down and Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus would be gambling on accepting a lower figure for the club’s jewel in the crown.

Whether or not Sunderland think they can realistically claim £30million for a Championship player remains to be seen but at least other clubs are now aware that the Wearsiders mean business and will want to eke out as much as they can for such an important component in their team.

It may even put other clubs off and there is the danger Clarke has to stay at the club when he is unhappy – not a situation that would be healthy for either party. There is also the need to raise funds to give Le Bris some spending money as he looks to add to his squad ahead of the Championship season.