Transfer gossip: Sunderland slap £20m price tag on star amid Burnley, West Ham and Brentford interest

Sunderland will demand £20million for star winger Jack Clarke during the summer transfer window, according to reports.

The former Leeds United and Tottenham man has been in sublime form this season, scoring 15 goals in the Championship and chipping in with four assists.

During the summer and winter windows, Clarke was the subject of serious transfer interest with Burnley having bids rejected before Serie A club Lazio saw two offers rejected on deadline day last month. West Ham, Brentford and Crystal Palace have also been linked with Clarke.

However, a report from Football Insider has claimed that Sunderland will only sell Clarke this summer for a fee of £20million. The Black Cats paid around £750k-£800k to Tottenham for the attacker in July 2022. However, Spurs will be owed 25 per cent if Clarke is sold by Sunderland.

The 23-year-old will have two years left on his current deal by the time this summer arrives, which leaves Sunderland in a good position to command a decent fee. Clarke is understood to be happy at the Academy of Light but harbours ambitions of returning to the Premier League.

Contracts talks between Sunderland and Clarke's camp are also understood to be at an impasse with the player's sale expected this summer unless the Wearsiders gain an unlikely promotion to the Premier League under Mike Dodds.

Dodds remains hopeful that Clarke will be fit to face Norwich City this weekend after Sunderland's star player missed last Saturday's loss against Swansea City in the Championship with an ankle injury.

"That’s what I’m being told," Dodds said when asked if it was still the plan to reassess Clarke’s injury on Monday following the Swansea City game. "He’s raring to go.

“He’s a robust boy. Since he came in he’s hardly missed any football. He never misses training, hence the reason why we thought he’d be available, but for whatever reason that hasn’t happened."

Dodds also added: "I won't allow Jack [being injured] to be used as an excuse. Jack is not just a good player for us, he's probably the best wide player in the league. We're talking about one of the best players in the league so you are never replacing Jack Clarke. But one thing I will say, and I think this is really important, when Jack Clarke came to the football club he wasn't the Jack Clarke he is now. I think that's an important message.

"We have to make sure that message is really clear with Romaine [Mundle], Abdoullah [Ba], Naz [Rusyn]. I appreciate there will be frustration among the fans and I wish I could fast forward time, but Jack Clarke when he came to the club wasn't the Jack Clarke he is now. That's a really important message people need to, not understand because they're fans and want to win games of football, but from where I'm sitting, we have to make sure we work with the other players to get another Jack Clarke."

Sunderland are next in action against Norwich City at Carrow Road this weekend in the Championship with the Black Cats currently eight points off the play-offs.