Sunderland: Southampton development should not change Jack Clarke stance - View | OneFootball

The Black Cats probably can't afford to be too firm on Clarke this summer, but they shouldn't be prepared to lower their price tag too much already.

Jack Clarke has been the subject of plenty of transfer speculation in recent weeks.

According to the Sunderland Echo, he's the most likely out of all Sunderland's key first-teamers to leave the Stadium of Light this summer, with the club and the player's representatives still at an impasse in contract talks at this stage.

This is a blow for the Black Cats, who will be keen to tie him down to a long-term contract extension to secure his future at the SoL and strengthen their negotiating position further.

Clarke's agent Ian Harte believes the winger is unlikely to put pen to paper on a new deal - and that could have alerted interested teams - who may have kept tabs on him throughout his impressive two-year permanent spell on Wearside.

Registering plenty of goals and assists for the Black Cats since joining on a four-year deal back in 2022, it's no surprise that Premier League teams have been linked with a move for him in recent weeks.

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace have both been linked with a move for the player - and Football Insider has reported that West Ham United are also keen on the winger.

According to a report from The Sun, fellow interested club Southampton are prepared to walk away from potential talks to recruit Clarke because of his price tag.

His current price tag is thought to be £18 million, which is a hefty sum for a Championship player, and it seems as though Russell Martin's side aren't prepared to fork out that much despite their return to the top flight potentially giving them plenty of freedom to spend a decent amount of money.

This summer's budget could even be boosted by the money they made last summer, with the likes of Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento and James Ward-Prowse all being sold to balance the books at St Mary's.

They could have used some of this revenue on recruiting Clarke, with their wing area needing to be addressed following the exits of David Brooks and Ryan Fraser following the end of their loan stays on the south coast.

£18m for a player in the second tier is a high amount, but it isn't a huge price tag for a player of Clarke's ability and potential.

At just 23, the player has already shown signs that he could be a real asset if he makes the move up to the top flight and with the Black Cats able to hold on to him until the summer of 2026, they are in a fairly strong negotiating position at this stage.

With two years left on his contract, this summer may be the ideal time to sell the winger if the clubs wants to maximise the amount they can generate for the player and this is why they probably can't afford to be too firm in their stance.

However, there's still plenty of time left on his contract and with Spurs including a hefty sell-on percentage when he moved to the Stadium of Light permanently in 2022, the Black Cats should look to make as much profit on him as possible.

With two months of the window left to go still, there's no need to take the first bid that comes in, especially with other sides reported to be in the mix for the player.

With the winger showing consistency in the past two years, it seems inevitable that bids will come in for him, so the Black Cats need to be patient.

Even if they don't manage to sell him, there are other players that Regis Le Bris' side can cash in on.

Clarke's price tag could potentially come down later in the window if they are keen to move him on, with a breakthrough in contract talks yet to materialise, but they should be looking to retain a fairly firm stance for now.