Sunderland are considering replacing Jack Clarke with a Championship loanee.
Jack Clarke has been the subject of heavy interest since the summer, with Burnley seeing multiple bids rejected for his services following their promotion to the top flight.
The winger’s brilliant 13-goal start to the campaign has led to increased attention, with the likes of West Ham, Brentford and Brighton also joining the race for his signature.
There hasn’t been any bids for Clarke this month though, and Sunderland could instead risk losing him in the summer if they can’t return to the Premier League themselves.
With Clarke yet to agree to a new deal on Wearside, the Black Cats are already beginning to consider signing his replacement.
According to journalist Alan Nixon, Michael Beale’s side are eyeing Preston North End’s Liam Millar as a potential replacement for Clarke.
Speaking on his Patreon, Nixon said: “Sunderland are keen on Canadian winger Liam Millar as Jack Clarke’s long term replacement.
“The Black Cats have been impressed by Millar during his loan spell at Preston from Swiss club Basel.
“Millar is maturing quickly with North End and living up to his hype when he was at Liverpool as a kid.
“Sunderland could move for Millar in this window but are more likely to leave it until the end of the season unless a big offer comes for Clarke.
“Brentford are interested in Clarke but the valuation on his head is too high for them and Sunderland are unlikely to budge as they chase promotion.
“Clarke is being offered a new deal to stay but the problem will be agreeing a fixed price in his deal. The club want around £18 million for him.”
Who is Liam Millar?
Born in Toronto, Liam Millar spent time in the academies of Fulham and Liverpool before making his senior debut for the Reds in the FA Cup four years ago.
The winger netted 31 goals and provided 18 assists across Liverpool’s youth ranks, but failed to make another appearance for the first team and was instead sent out on loan to Kilmarnock and Charlton Athletic.
Millar was then sold to Swiss club Basel for £1.3 million in 2021 and scored seven goals in his first season at the club, but has since failed to find the back of the net.
The 24-year-old was then sent out on loan to Preston North End in September and has picked up eight goal contributions in 22 games, with six of them coming in his last eight games in the Championship.
Millar has had the most shots in the Lilywhites’ squad (35) and has completed the most successful dribbles (47), as well as the joint-second most key passes (19). The attacker’s ability has been compared to former Sunderland and Preston star Aiden McGeady.
In comparison, Jack Clarke has had 80 shots, 102 successful dribbles and 66 key passes.