West Ham hold serious interest in Sunderland star Jack Clarke | OneFootball

West Ham United are interested in signing Sunderland winger Jack Clarke during the summer transfer window.

According to Football Insider, the Hammers have a "concrete" interest in bringing Clarke to the London Stadium.

The 23-year-old scored 15 goals in the Championship for Sunderland this season, and it looks like his good form might earn him a move to the Premier League.

Sunderland signed Clarke from Tottenham Hotspur permanently in 2022, after he helped the club achieve promotion to the Championship through the play-offs during a loan spell.

He attracted the interest of David Moyes in January when the Scot was in charge of West Ham, and it seems as though his replacement, Julen Lopetegui, is also a fan of the attacker.

Jack Clarke is attracting interest

Sunderland reportedly came to terms with the fact that they were going to lose Clarke this summer following January interest from several clubs, including West Ham, Brentford and Lazio.

The Black Cats value their star player at more than £15m as they brace for West Ham to make their move for the English talent.

Clarke's current deal is due to expire in the summer of 2026, and Sunderland failed in their attempts to tie him down with a new contract earlier this season because they were unwilling to break their wage structure.

The forward starred in a difficult campaign for Sunderland which resulted in an underwhelming 16th place finish.

West Ham will hope that the allure of Premier League football is enough to convince Clarke to sign for the club, after their ninth place finish means that they will be without European football for the first time in three seasons.

Clarke must want to prove himself in the Premier League

It is not a huge surprise to see West Ham have reignited their interest in Clarke after it was reported that they were keen on a move for him in January.

The former Leeds United man will want to show that he has got what it takes to thrive at the top level, after his previous move to the Premier League turned out to be unsuccessful.

Clarke left Elland Road in 2019 to join Tottenham Hotspur for an initial fee of £8.5m. He only played four times for Spurs and never got an opportunity to play for them in the Premier League, something that surely fuels the winger to show what he can do in the top flight.

Clarke has been a key player for Sunderland

Clarke has thrived in a Sunderland shirt ever since he arrived at the Stadium of Light on loan with the club stuck in the third tier.

He has contributed to 49 goals in 112 appearances for the Black Cats as they have become an established team in the Championship during the last couple of seasons.

Sunderland lost to Luton Town in the Championship play-off semi-final in their first season back in the second tier during the 2022/23 season, but they did not enjoy the same success this time around.

Tony Mowbray was sacked in December before Michael Beale's short stint at the helm ended after just 12 games. Mike Dodds was Sunderland's interim manager as their season petered out during the second half of the campaign. The club is yet to appoint a new permanent manager ahead of next season.

Clarke did not let the managerial changes affect his output this season, as he scored 15 goals and provided four assists in what is set to be his final season on Wearside.