Crystal Palace transfer stance on Sunderland star revealed | OneFootball

Crystal Palace remain interested in Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, according to a report from HITC.

The 23-year-old has been a brilliant asset for the Black Cats since his permanent arrival from Tottenham Hotspur during the summer of 2022.

Last term, he helped to compensate for Ross Stewart's injury issues and Ellis Simms' recall, playing a huge part in the Black Cats' top-six finish, along with Amad Diallo.

This term, he has been even more lethal, and has proven why he should be given a sufficient opportunity to play in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, he is currently out of action because of an ankle ligament injury, which has prevented him from making an impact under interim boss Mike Dodds.

When the extent of his injury was revealed, many Black Cats fans thought their season was over and that has proved to be the case, with Dodds failing to get results without having the Wearside club's star man at his disposal.

He is set to be back before the end of the season - and the ex-Spurs man may be looking to spend the latter stages of the campaign putting himself in the shop window ahead of the summer.

With the player having two years left on his contract, the Black Cats are in a fairly strong negotiating position, but a summer departure looks inevitable with the play-offs looking unlikely for his team.

Crystal Palace transfer latest on Jack Clarke

Palace have lined up a couple of EFL targets in the event that Michael Olise leaves in the summer.

With the Eagles braced for Olise's potential departure, HITC have reported that Clarke and Hull City's Jaden Philogene are both on the Eagles' radar.

Oliver Glasner's side have richly benefitted from recruiting EFL players before, with Olise and Eberechi Eze arriving from Reading and Queens Park Rangers.

If Olise departs, the Eagles could make an approach for Clarke or Philogene, leaving Dodds' side in need of preparing for his potential departure.

Sunderland need to brace themselves for Jack Clarke's departure

He may have two years left on his contract, but with the volume of interest he's likely to receive in the summer, Clarke has a good chance of leaving.

And at this stage of his contract, the summer will give the Black Cats the best chance of securing a decent amount for his services.

If the club are to bring in an adequate replacement for Clarke, they will need a very decent amount of money and this could persuade the Black Cats to cash in.

His departure would leave a big void to fill, but others including Patrick Roberts can step up to the plate and make a difference.

It's clear that a replacement will need to be recruited though - and the recruitment team should be looking at potential targets already to ensure that they aren't too badly damaged by the 23-year-old's departure.