Transfer news: Southampton eye move for £17m-rated Sunderland man with contract talks dead

Southampton are the latest club to have shown an interest in Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, who is being increasingly sought after.

The former Leeds United and Tottenham man started Sunderland's last game against Birmingham City and put Michael Beale's side ahead before the Black Cats eventually succumbed to a 2-1 defeat in the Championship.

Clarke's goal marked the attacker's 18th goal contribution of the season so far with the player's importance to Sunderland clear to see. Clarke's form over the past two years has prompted interest from Burnley, Crystal Palace and Brentford in recent times.

The Clarets had bids rejected for Clarke last summer, while Serie A club Lazio had two offers knocked back during the January transfer window. The Echo now understands that Southampton are the latest club to have shown an interest in the player with Russell Martin's side aiming to be back in the Premier League next season.

Clarke has two-and-a-half years left on his current contract at Sunderland but is unlikely to pen a new deal with talks between sporting director Kristjaan Speakman and agent Ian Harte dead in the water. Clarke is thought to be rated at somewhere in the region of £17million but could fetch more during the summer.

“The player has just obviously got to focus on what he's doing at the moment, which is [playing] fantastically well, scoring goals, getting assists. But hopefully this summer we'll probably see Jack moving. Where it may be, we don't know just yet, but he's in good place," Harte recently said of Clarke.