Sunderland may have been handed a huge boost in their bid to keep hold of Jack Clarke this month.
The Black Cats did a brilliant job at palming away continuous interest from Burnley in the summer, with the Clarets seeing more than one bid turned down for Jack Clarke.
The Wearside outfit reaped the rewards of Clarke’s presence, as he went onto score 13 goals this term.
It looked increasingly likely that the winger would leave in January though, with a growing list of clubs monitoring him ahead of the transfer window.
However, Lazio appear to be the only club that have actually made a bid for Clarke so far. The Italian giants saw a £15m bid turned down for the 23-year-old, before a second offer ended with the same result.
Sunderland fans were left hoping that he wouldn’t jump at the chance to join Lazio, but it now looks like they might have turned their attention elsewhere anyway.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Maurizio Sarri’s side are now set to sign Ryan Kent from Fenerbahce.
The Liverpool academy graduate, who also plays on the left side of attack, will join Lazio on loan with an option to buy.
With Kent set for a medical in Italy, it now seems extremely unlikely that Lazio will continue their pursuit of Clarke.
Sunderland Echo journalist James Copley responded to the news with: “Hopefully, we can rest easy on the Jack Clarke situation now barring any last-minute attempts…”
Is keeping Jack Clarke Sunderland’s best bit of business this month?
Barring any unexpected late bids, Sunderland have pulled off a blinder in keeping hold of Jack Clarke.
It really doesn’t look like the Black Cats are going to sign a striker this month, so keeping Clarke was always vital if they were to have any chance at reaching the play-offs.
The former Leeds United man’s form has gone relatively undisturbed by the transfer interest, but hopefully he can still kick on and have a brilliant last few months before he inevitably does leave for the Premier League in the summer.