'Deal agreed': Ipswich Town close in on Jack Clarke transfer as Sunderland accept bid

Jack Clarke is nearing a Sunderland departure after the outline of a deal with Ipswich Town was agreed.

The newly-promoted side came to the table with a significant bid this week and while head coach Regis Le Bris said earlier on Thursday that Clarke remained available for selection on Saturday, talks have developed over the course of the day.

Sunderland and Ipswich Town have now agreed on a deal worth around £20 million once add-on clauses have been accounted for, with the initial fee reported to be in the region of £15 million. Clarke is expected to travel to Suffolk for a medical on Friday.

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna confirmed earlier in the day that the club were still looking for additions in forward areas, and a deal for Clarke is now close.

“There are still some areas that we feel we want to add to,” he said.

“The forward areas is one of those. We know that with the level of the league, and how we operate, we need great depth in those areas. We’re a team who probably made more forward substitutions than anyone last year.

"We want to be really strong in those areas and have good depth, we want to add different qualities that we think can help us be successful in the Premier League, so we’re continuing to look at that.”

Ipswich Town’s bid represents a huge return on the modest fee Sunderland paid to recruit Clarke from Spurs on a permanent basis, but around 25% of the fee will be owed to the 23-year-old’s former club. The Black Cats were open to a sale this summer as talks over a potential new contract never came close to a resolution, though he still had two years left to run on his current contract and many fans may feel he should have commanded a more significant fee.

The club are actively working to strengthen their forward line, with a deal to sign Zenit St Petersburg forward Wilson Isidor almost done. The club are also in talks to sign Red Bull Salzburg Roko Simic on a permanent deal.