West Ham United are reportedly ready to intensify their January pursuit of Crystal Palace target and Sunderland winger Jack Clarke to bolster their forward line.
Sunderland winger Jack Clarke is a player in demand in the Premier League this month, with West Ham United planning to step up their interest in the Crystal Palace winter target, according to Daily Mirror.
The Jack Clarke Story
Jack Clarke first burst onto the Championship scene in 2018 when he made his debut for boyhood club Leeds United as a 17-year-old under Marcelo Bielsa. Tottenham Hotspur paid around £11 million to snap up the 23-year-old from Leeds United in 2019. But after failing to make a single Premier League appearance and a string of unsuccessful loan spells at Elland Road, QPR, and Stoke, he was offloaded to Sunderland on a permanent deal in 2022.
He has since managed to rebuild his reputation with the Black Cats, as he has been one of the best players in the Championship over the past couple of seasons. He has racked up 24 goals and 20 assists in his 94 appearances for the Wearside Outfit.
After being subject to multiple rejected bids from Burnley in the summer, Clarke ended up staying with Sunderland. But he is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs this month after scoring 12 goals in 26 Championship outings this season.
Premier League Calling?
The Clarets also remain interested in his services. Other Premier League clubs are also believed to be at the table, namely Crystal Palace and West Ham. Crystal Palace, for one, are experiencing goalscoring struggles this season.
Only relegation-zoned Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer than the Eagles’ tally of 22 goals in 20 outings. A trio of Jack Clarke, Eberechi Eze, and Michael Olise has the potential to cause real problems, along with Odsonne Edouard and Matheus Franca.
As for West Ham, David Moyes could face a challenging period due to a considerable number of injuries and unavailable players in his squad, particularly in his forward line. It is understood that Lucas Paqueta could be sidelined for up to two months, while Jarrod Bowen is expected to be on the treatment table for a few weeks.
Michail Antonio has also suffered a setback, while Mohammed Kudus is on international duty with Ghana, leaving Moyes with a real lack of attacking options. Consequently, there is speculation that West HAm are contemplating delving into the transfer market before the window closes.
Tottenham also have a 25 percent sell-on clause for Clarke, meaning the Black Cats are likely to drive a hard bargain for the highly-rated forward, who remains key to their promotion hopes.
