Sunderland now face competition from two newly-relegated clubs for their ‘unstoppable’ target.
Sunderland haven’t received any further interest in Jack Clarke since the season ended, but there is no doubt that fans are expecting to lose him this summer.
The winger has contributed 40 goal contributions over the last two campaigns and the Black Cats will be expected to fill that hole with his exit fee.
It is likely to prove an impossible task given his impact, while they have already been linked with a few names since the start of the year.
Liam Millar is one player that is rumoured to have interested Sunderland, having brought his loan spell at Preston North End to an end this month.
The 24-year-old joined the Lilywhites on loan from Basel last summer and went onto claim five goals and five assists in the Championship.
Sunderland face competition for Liam Millar
Preston are eager to re-sign the ‘unstoppable‘ forward, while Sunderland are also keeping an eye on him.
However, they may now suffer a huge blow in their pursuit of Millar.
The Sun have reported that both Burnley and Sheffield United are lining up bids for the winger following their relegation from the Premier League.
The two clubs are likely to lose a number of their key players and will look to rebuild their squads for the second tier.
Basel paid £1.3 million for Millar in 2021, but as he approaches the final 12 months of his contract, he could be available for cheaper.
If Sunderland end up in a race for Millar’s signature, it already feels like they could be far down his shortlist.
The Canadian already has a great bond with Preston having enjoyed his loan spell there last season, while he has already spent six years in the north-west.
Meanwhile, he could be tempted to join one of the newly-relegated clubs as it could give him the chance to return to the top flight next season.
Sunderland could potentially compete financially if they lose Clarke, but they won’t want to overpay if clubs are to start a bidding war.
Where Sunderland should be looking to replace Jack Clarke
Millar isn’t the only Championship loanee that Sunderland should be looking at though, with the Wearsiders recently tipped to go in for Mikey Johnston.
The 25-year-old scored seven goals in 20 appearances while on loan at West Brom and it seems likely that Celtic could cash in on him this summer.
Targeting proven players in the Championship seems like a promising road for Sunderland to go down now, as fans will get incredibly frustrated if the club replaces star man Clarke with an unknown 19-year-old from France.