Sunderland may now be fearing the worst, following this latest update on Crystal Palace gem Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Sunderland are thought to be one of 15 Championship teams vying to sign Crystal Palace youngster Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on loan this summer.
The 21-yer-old was kept at Selhurst Park last season, despite interest from the likes of Sunderland last summer, though he featured only six times in the Premier League.
Now though, it looks like Rak-Sakyi will be leaving Crystal Place on loan this summer.
It’s thought that Crystal Palace would prefer to send Rak-Sakyi on loan to a Championship club despite interest in a permanent deal from Southampton.
The Saints, following their promotion to the Premier League, have recently seen a loan-to-buy offer for Rak-Sakyi rejected, with Palace reiterating their desire to send the attacker on loan to a second tier side.
And whilst that update is good news for Sunderland, it may force Southampton into turning their attentions to Jack Clarke, who’s been linked with a possible switch to St Mary’s this summer.
Southampton fancy summer transfer swoop for Sunderland man Jack Clarke
Earlier this summer, Southampton were linked with a possible summer swoop for Clarke.
It comes after the former Spurs man’s impressive 2023/24 season in which he scored 15 goals in the Championship as Sunderland finished in 16th place of the table.
There’s been confusion over Southampton’s stance on Clarke though, and over what price tag they might have to pay with reports suggesting that it could be anywhere between £18million and £30million.
Southampton may put all faith in signing Jack Clarke at Sunderland after latest Jesurun Rak-Sakyi blow
After missing out on Rak-Sakyi, it may be safe to assume that Southampton will quickly turn attentions to other targets, and safe to assume that Clarke may come into the conversation.
He’s an established Championship player now and he’ll be looking to break into the Premier League at some point in the future.
Expect Sunderland to remain firm on their valuation of the 23-year-old, which is likely to be at or above the £20million mark.
Clarke recently suggested that he’s happy to stay at Sunderland beyond this summer, though, so his potential exit largely depends on whether the likes of Southampton come in with an offer that is acceptable to the Sunderland owners.
It certainly seems like Clarke’s situation could intensify in the coming weeks.