Sunderland should use Jack Clarke money to try and beat Sheffield United to £7m Leicester City deal: View | OneFootball

With the money that the Black Cats have generated for Clarke, they should be looking to pursue Tom Cannon.

Talented young striker Tom Cannon doesn't look to have a future at Leicester City - and it looks as though Sunderland have re-entered the race to sign the Republic of Ireland international.

With Jordan Ayew arriving at the Foxes, it is likely to push ex-Everton striker Cannon further down the pecking order at the King Power Stadium, with Steve Cooper already having the likes of Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka as alternative options.

Cannon was on the bench for their opening game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur, but was excluded from their matchday squad last weekend at Fulham, and with his lack of playing time in mind, an exit seems inevitable.

Even last season, he didn't win as much game time as he would have wanted, with Vardy, Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho limiting his playing time under Enzo Maresca.

The appointment of Cooper could have been a game-changer for Cannon, but he looks set to move on in the coming days, with Leicester reportedly prepared to sell him.

Sunderland could have advantage in Tom Cannon race

According to Alan Nixon, there are plenty of teams in the race for the striker.

Sheffield United and Stoke City have recently been linked with a move for him - and Luton Town have also joined the race to try and get a deal over the line for the player.

The Black Cats are the fourth team that have taken an interest in the 21-year-old, but it remains to be seen who will be able to get a deal over the line for him.

The Blades may have parachute payments, but they may need to watch their spending until a takeover is formally sealed.

Luton, meanwhile, have recently paid a big fee to sign Mark McGuinness and may be hesitant to spend too much on Cannon because of this.

And although Stoke reportedly have a decent amount of money to spend, they may not be able to beat the Black Cats in this race, with the player potentially set to cost as much as £7m.

Having recently sold Jack Clarke for an initial £15 million, they may have the cash at their disposal to purchase Cannon and fend off interest from other teams to secure his signature, should sporting director Kristjaan Speakman be feeling ambitious and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus sanctioning such a move.

The striker area has been a problem for some time for Regis Le Bris' side - much further back than his arrival at the club this summer.

With Ross Stewart out injured for much of the 2022/23 campaign, Ellis Simms being recalled during the January window in that season and Joe Gelhardt not always able to thrive in Tony Mowbray's system, this issue could have cost them a play-off place a couple of years ago.

This department was even an issue last term, with Mason Burstow and Luis Hemir struggling, Eliezer Mayenda very inexperienced and Nazariy Rusyn needing time to adapt to English football.

Weaknesses in this area led to an underwhelming finish at the end of last season - and the Black Cats will be keen to avoid that problem cropping up again during the 2024/25 campaign.

Wilson Isidor is a promising loan addition, but with Alexandre Mendy yet to sign for the club, Cannon would be a very shrewd acquisition.

With Clarke leaving, Le Bris needs someone who is a proven goalscorer at this level and the Leicester man has thrived in the Championship with Preston North End before, scoring eight goals in 21 appearances for the Lilywhites during the second half of the 2022/23 season.

The striker department definitely needs strengthening further - and a permanent addition in this area would be ideal - with Isidor only joining on loan.

With this in mind, the Black Cats should be looking to use a chunk of the Clarke money to tie Cannon down to a long-term deal.

Some people would argue that the majority of this money should be utilised on a left-winger, so the club can secure a like-for-like replacement for new Ipswich Town signing Clarke.

This is a valid argument, considering the Tractor Boys' new addition was such an integral part of the Wearside outfit's team.

However, a loan addition should be targeted in this area to prevent the possibility of Romaine Mundle's pathway being blocked.

At 21, Mundle is a player who has a high amount of potential and although he may not have performed at his best last term, he looked brilliant against Burnley last weekend.

Cutting in well and scoring the crucial goal against the Clarets, he should be given a sufficient amount of game time to develop and prove that he can be a good replacement for Clarke.

A permanent addition on the left now could damage the 21-year-old's development - and the Black Cats won't want that, and this is why they should be looking to use their funds to sign Cannon instead.