Sunderland set Jack Clarke valuation amid Burnley, Brentford January interest | OneFootball

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Sunderland are anticipating Burnley and Brentford will make another attempt to sign Jack Clarke in the January transfer window.

Clarke was the subject of intense transfer speculation last summer, with Burnley seeing an offer reportedly in excess of £10 million turned down by the Championship side.

The Clarets are aiming to survive in the Premier League beyond one campaign, but are currently sitting 20th in the table after 12 games, with just one win to their name.

The gap to safety is five points, with Vincent Kompany’s side in the middle of a five game losing run in the top flight.

However, according to The Northern Echo, the Lancashire outfit are still hoping to complete a deal to sign the 22-year-old in the winter market.

What is Jack Clarke’s valuation?

The Bees have also previously shown an interest in signing the winger, but a deal has failed to materialise.

It is expected that a move to Thomas Frank’s side will be seen as more attractive to the player given their more stable position in the Premier League.

The London club currently sit 11th in the table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone and only four adrift of the European places.

However, it is believed that any offer will need to be in excess of £20 million in order to tempt Sunderland into a sale midway through the campaign.

Tony Mowbray’s side are challenging for promotion to the top flight this season, having narrowly missed out on a place in the division last year.

Sunderland earned a top six finish in their first campaign back, but suffered a 3-2 defeat to Luton Town in their play-off semi-final.

Clarke has performed well since seeing the opportunity to move to the Premier League last summer rejected.

The forward is the team’s top scorer in the league so far, bagging nine from 16 appearances.

Where are Sunderland in the Championship table?

Sunderland are currently inside the top six during the November international break, with their 3-1 win over Birmingham City last Saturday moving them up to sixth in the standings.

Goal difference sees the Black Cats sitting above seventh and eighth place West Brom and Hull City, with third place Leeds United only five points ahead.

The Wearside outfit will be aiming to maintain this level of form after the international break, as they seek promotion to the Premier League.

Next up for Sunderland is an away trip to face Plymouth Argyle on 25 November.

Is Jack Clarke worth £20 million?

Sunderland’s promotion hopes rest on keeping Clarke beyond the January window, or at the very least investing a huge transfer fee received in his sale.

So the Championship side need to earn in excess of £20 million to properly invest that money back into improving Mowbray’s squad.

Losing him for anything less would be a real blow to their top six chances.

This is a fair evaluation of the player, who will be a key figure for the team in the second half of the season.