Jack Clarke has now been tipped to join Sunderland’s Championship rivals.
Jack Clarke has been the subject of heavy interest for almost a year now after enjoying a stellar 18 months in the second tier.
The winger was surprisingly underwhelming during his loan spell with the Black Cats in their promotion-winning campaign, but he has since netted 24 goals and provided 16 assists in 80 appearances.
After shrugging off bids from Burnley last summer, the list of clubs eager to snap Clarke up dramatically increased.
The likes of Brentford, Crystal Palace and Brighton were all interested, while Sunderland knocked back two offers from Lazio during the January window.
While they have done well to keep hold of him so far, the club look resigned to losing him for a decent fee at the end of the season.
It is expected that he will make the jump up to the Premier League, however recent reports have also claimed that Southampton are eyeing a deal.
The Saints have already signed Ross Stewart and will now look to lure another of Sunderland’s prized assets, with the hope that they will also be in the top flight by the summer.
Russell Martin’s side currently sit in the play-off positions and still face playing in the second tier next term after losing three of their last four games, however Clarke has still been tipped to join them.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones said: “Yeah, it feels like a good fit. I’m sure that he would be interested in a club of that size and with the sort of projection that they seem to have at the moment.
“Obviously, he will be aware of how good they’ve been across this season already. With Russell Martin’s reputation in the game growing all the time, you’ll be hearing from other players in the game just how he is improving the team, but also the individuals within it. So I think that that would be a situation that would interest Jack Clarke.”
Would Jack Clarke join Southampton?
Despite Ross Stewart being prepared to take the trip down south, I would be surprised to see Jack Clarke do the same.
The winger is likely to have so many different options in the summer and it seems more likely that he would either choose to stay up north or return to London.
Clarke would also only even consider Southampton if they had already been promoted, as I would argue he would prefer to stay at Sunderland if he had a choice of playing for a club once again fighting for promotion next season.
Clarke is undeniably a Premier League player and will want to show what he is made of alongside the very best players, so a club like West Ham or Crystal Palace seems like a better destination for him.