West Ham United: Fresh January transfer update emerges in hunt to sign Sunderland attacker Jack Clarke at London Stadium
West Ham target Jack Clarke may not leave Sunderland until the summer transfer window, according to Alan Nixon.
The Sun newspaper journalist provided his response to a Sunderland fan on his personal Twitter account (21 January) sharing that the forward previously dubbed “wonderful” by former Mackems boss Tony Mowbray (Leeds Live, 22 September) is likely to be sold in the summer rather than this month.
UK newspaper outlet The Mirror (13 January) shared that the Hammers are ready to step on the accelerator to seal Clarke’s signature at the London Stadium with the Black Cats rating him at £20m at the Stadium of Light.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed an excellent campaign with the North East club, scoring 13 Championship goals and registering two assists leading to much interest from Premier League clubs including the Hammers.
However, the forward is expected to remain at the Stadium of Light for the remainder of the season.
Summer addition
Clarke certainly isn’t one of those talents bursting on the scene for the first time as clubs and fans were already accustomed to his tremendous gifts before his failed move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Since he joined Sunderland though, he’s taken his game to whole new levels already scoring 13 goals this season after registering a whopping nine goals and 12 assists during the 2022/23 campaign.
West Ham United are desperately short of attackers right now, with the likes of Said Benrahma, Maxwel Cornet and Pablo Fornals all linked with January exits and Clarke, given his age profile, potential, homegrown status and quality would be an ideal bet for David Moyes to pursue.
However, its unlikely the club will spend £20m on his services, especially in the January window. Those kind of deals are for the prolonged summer transfer window where clubs will be expected to splash the cash to properly rebuild squads.
Clarke certainly seems like an ideal summer addition given his price tag and his need to develop further in the Championship before making the considerable jump to the Premier League.
There may be no better club for Clarke to continue his rapid rise than the mighty West Ham United.
In other West Ham news, the stance of another Premier League player who has been linked with the club has been revealed.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.