Sunderland are on track to make themselves some hefty profits this summer.
The Black Cats are likely to sell at least one of their prized assets, with a majority of their starting line-up currently being targeted by clubs in the Premier League.
Sunderland will be hugely relieved after it was reported that Chris Rigg was set to pen a new three-year contract, however the likes of Jack Clarke, Dan Neil and Trai Hume continue to attract attention.
The club will be desperate to tie down more of their key players now they have appointed a head coach in Regis Le Bris, but many fans still expect Clarke to leave in the coming months.
The winger has been a top flight target since last summer, when Burnley had multiple bids rejected.
He has since received an offer from Lazio, while the growing list of interested clubs are yet to make their own concrete bids.
Southampton have had to pull out of the race though, as they are unable to meet the £18 million price tag that Sunderland have slapped on the 23-year-old.
Supporters will be glad to hear that the Saints have withdrawn their interest, however pundit Carlton Palmer has actually urged the Wearsiders to reduce their valuation.
Sunderland have to sell Jack Clarke ‘now’
Speaking to Football League World, he said: “Sunderland have drawn their line in the sand with Clarke, he’s still got two years left on his contract.
“It’s a problem for Sunderland because if they don’t offload him this summer, and he doesn’t sign a new contract, then his fee will come down. Where is the fee going to lie? I don’t know, it’s a difficult one for Sunderland.
“When they look at the previous summer transfer window, it was believed that Burnley offered £10 million plus add-ons.
“They are not going to sell him for less than £10 million, I think a deal could between £12-15m, but even though Southampton are back in the Premier League, I don’t think they would want to be spending £18 million.
“He is a talented player, he scored a lot of goals for Sunderland last season and got a lot of assists in a side that was pretty poor.
“I think there’s still a deal to be done, if Sunderland are drawing their line in the sand at £18 million, they’ve got to be careful.
“At the end of next season, he’ll be in the final year of his contract, and if he stays, Jack may well sit out his contract.
“If they’re going to sell him, they’re going to have to sell him now.
“I would think they need to agree a fee, lower their valuation of him a little bit and get him out the door at £12-15 million.
“However, the new manager will be delighted if no deal is done because Jack’s a fantastic footballer, and as he proved last season with all the talk in the summer and all the talk in January, he just got on and played his football.”
The Black Cats’ valuation is completely fair
This summer’s Premier League transfers so far have included Lewis Dobbin joining Aston Villa for £9 million, Yankuba Minteh signing for Brighton for a whopping £30m, Omari Kellyman moving to Chelsea for £19m and Nottingham Forest spending £35m on Elliot Anderson.
Those four players have a combined total of 61 appearances in the top flight – 44 of which come from Anderson alone.
While Clarke has been plying his trade in the Championship, he is of much higher quality than most of those players and would have a much higher impact in the top flight than they will next season.
So for Sunderland to accept as little as £12m for him would be embarrassing, even if he was approaching the final 12 months of his contract next summer.
Keeping Clarke could be the difference between staying in the second tier and winning promotion, so the club shouldn’t be afraid to take that risk if no club is willing to match his price tag.