£20m-rated Tottenham, Crystal Palace target may help Black Cats keep Jack Clarke: View | OneFootball

Not for the first time in recent years, Sunderland head into the summer transfer window in a state of turmoil and facing the prospect of having to cash in on one of their most talented players to keep another star.

The Black Cats, who are still looking for a permanent manager after Michael Beale was sacked in February, could have to sacrifice Jobe Bellingham in order to keep Jack Clarke for at least another season.

The duo were Sunderland's standout performers in a difficult campaign, which saw them finish 16th just 12 months after reaching the Championship play-offs.

In his first season at the Stadium of Light, Bellingham scored seven goals and registered one assist in 45 league appearances, while Clarke scored 15 goals and set up a further three in 40 games in the Championship. Together, the pair accounted for over a third of Sunderland's 52 league goals last term, which was the second-worst return in the Championship of any team in the top-16.

Unsurprisingly, Clarke and Bellingham have both been linked with a move away from Wearside this summer.

Bellingham has attracted interest from the Premier League with Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and Brentford all linked with the 18-year-old, who joined Sunderland for £3m from Birmingham last summer.

Premier League trio linked with Jobe Bellingham

According to Teamtalk, Spurs have held talks with Bellingham’s entourage to establish whether the player could be available in the upcoming transfer window. The Black Cats value the midfielder at £20m, but Birmingham have a 15% sell-on clause, which means they will profit from any future sale.

Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is understood to view the England Under-19 midfielder as a key part of the team, but selling Bellingham for a fee in the region of £20m or more would give the Black Cats enough financial headroom to keep Clarke, who could reportedly cost up to €30 million (£25.5m) this summer.

As reported by The Guardian, a number of clubs in England and abroad are monitoring Bellingham and a bidding war would only benefit Sunderland's coffers.

Borussia Dortmund, where Bellingham's older brother Jude played until joining Real Madrid last summer, are among the clubs reported to have shown an interest in the teenager.

Notably, with Bellingham under contract until the summer of 2027, Sunderland are in a strong negotiating position despite the uncertainty surrounding Beale's replacement.

The former Rangers boss took over from Tony Mowbray when the latter was sacked in December, but was himself fired just 12 games and 63 days into his tenure.

The club looked close to appointing Will Still, only for the 31-year-old to surprisingly withdraw from the running last week.

Still left his job at Ligue 1 outfit Stade de Reims before the end of the season and is expected to remain in France to take charge of Lens instead.

Why Sunderland must keep Jack Clarke

Clarke, meanwhile, was linked with Burnley, West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Bournemouth, Leicester City, Southampton, Brentford, and Lazio in January, and he is attracting attention once again this summer.

According to The Northern Echo, the 23-year-old has emerged as a target for Southampton with the Saints looking to bolster their attacking options after returning to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Clarke, who joined Sunderland from Tottenham two years ago, is under contract until the end of the 2026 season.

Sunderland remain adamant they want to keep both Bellingham and Clarke, but the loss of the former could be easier to offset than the latter's departure.

While Clarke failed to register a goal or assist in the final seven games after returning from injury in April, he remains Sunderland's most important player and one of the best attacking weapons in the Championship on his day.

If losing Clarke to an established Premier League club would be a blow for whoever succeeds Beale in charge, watching him swap the red and white of Sunderland for the red and white of Southampton would be a particularly bitter pill to swallow for Black Cats fans.

The supporters know all too well the feeling of losing some of their star players to Southampton, with striker Ross Stewart making the move to St Mary's for a £10m fee back in September.

To make matters worse, Sunderland would have considered Southampton promotion rivals at the beginning of last season and looked to have cemented their credentials by thrashing Russell Martin's side 5-0 at home in September, a result which sparked a run of four losses in a row for the visitors.

Sunderland, meanwhile, were flying high under Mowbray and sat in fourth place. Fast-forward five months, however, and 12 places and a huge 31 points separated the two clubs as the Saints celebrated promotion.

Holding onto Clarke could be vital in helping the Black Cats emulate Southampton and though it would be gutting to see Bellingham go so soon, his departure may well mean they can keep hold of the talisman for at least one more year.