Jack Clarke issues clear Sunderland AFC stance amid West Ham links | OneFootball

Jack Clarke has reiterated the fact that he has enjoyed being at Sunderland since he joined, amid reports about West Ham United's interest in him.

West Ham have been linked with making a move for the 23-year-old throughout the season.

Clarke was said to be one of the names on David Moyes' list of players that he wanted in the January window, as per The Standard, but no move for him ever came to fruition.

iNews reported that Italian side Lazio had a bit worth £16.5 million for the winger rejected by the Black Cats in the winter window.

The club have been trying to get him to sign a new deal all season. His current agreement with the club runs out in the summer of 2026, but they have made attempts to extend that throughout the season.

His agent, Ian Harte, revealed all about the negotiations last month. He said, to iNews, that he doesn't believe that his client will sign a new deal with the club. "There’s not many people know this but in Jack’s contract he had to play a few games at the start of this season to then get offered a new deal," said Harte. "There was a deal that was offered but it wasn’t good enough.

"We were happy to sign a deal but that was earlier on in the summer time and it hasn’t been revisited.

"They have a [wage] structure. Lots of clubs have that. I don’t think [Sunderland] want to break any structure for any football player so I can’t see it happening, no."

Jack Clarke reiterates Sunderland feelings

The club's top scorer has made it no secret that he has enjoyed every second of being a Sunderland player; that much has been clear to see from his performances this season.

Clarke has been much closer to his hometown of York since he joined the Wearsiders in the summer of 2022. He was awarded with the club's Player of the Year award this week, and, when speaking to BBC Total Sport, he was asked about how much of an effect being back up north has had.

He said: "I’d like to think I’ve grown a lot during my time here, and it’s due to the fans, due to the club, and due to the players I’ve had around me.

"Like you said, it could be due to the fact that I’m home or just, obviously, I’m playing football more and whenever you’re playing you obviously feel better, and you only really play your best stuff, I think, when you get a run-in somewhere and you’re happy playing, and I’ve been happy ever since I walked through the doors."

Sunderland could be forced into selling Jack Clarke

For now, Sunderland are the ones in the position of power. Clarke still has a few years left on his contract, so the threat of him running it down and leaving for free isn't too much of a worry yet.

With that said, the club's model is sort of based on getting in players like the 23-year-old for a relatively cheap fee, and then selling them on for big bucks.

The Standard have previously reported that the club wanted a fee of more than £20 million for Clarke, and there could be similarly valued deals down the line for the Black Cats, as Young Player of the Year Trai Hume, and goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, attract interest.

If Sunderland don't sell him soon, they run the risk of his stock dropping, so they may need to cash in on him sooner rather than later.