Sunderland AFC transfer gossip: £4m Ellis Simms bid, Dan Ballard's 'significant' sell-on clause after £2m deal

Sunderland have concluded a flurry of incoming deals since the transfer window opened earlier this month with Nectar Triantis, Jobe Bellingham, Jenson Seelt and Luis Hemir Semedo having made the switch to Wearside.

However, there are still several transfer stories regarding Sunderland doing the round with the 2023-24 season rapidly approaching after Tony Mowbray's players returned to training earlier this week.

Former Sunderland loanee Ellis Simms remains the subject of serious transfer interest from Ipswich Town with several reports suggesting that the newly-promoted Championship club had submitted an offer of £4million for the striker.

However, those initial reports appear to have been wide of the mark with local publication the East Anglian Daily Times moving to clarify the situation.

Stuart Watson, the EADT's chief Ipswich Town reporter, said: Understand reports that Ipswich have had a £4m bid for Everton striker Ellis Simms rejected to be incorrect.

"One of several strikers Ipswich are interested in and have made enquiries about. Football world knows Ipswich have money. Club won’t pay over odds though."

Sunderland have also been re-linked with Simms and are said to have made enquiries regarding a potential return following a successful half-season loan during the 2022-23 campaign.

In other news, West Ham continues to be linked with Sunderland defender Dan Ballard after the Black Cats purchased the defender from Arsenal for around £2million last summer

A big factor in any potential deal, however, will likely be that the Gunners negotiated a 'significant' sell-on clause into Ballard’s transfer when the deal was initially done, according to reports.

There is, though, no official word on the exact percentage Arsenal negotiated with Sunderland.