'Concrete' Premier League interest in Leeds United academy graduate as £15m-plus price-tag set

Premier League interest in former Leeds United star Jack Clarke has resurfaced this summer with reports claiming West Ham United are weighing up a move for the Sunderland winger.

Clarke has just come off the back of a best-ever individual season at Sunderland, having registered 15 goals and four assists in 40 league appearances - enough to earn him the club’s Player of the Season award. The 23-year-old was a rare shining light in an otherwise miserable season at the Stadium of Light in which the Black Cats burned through three managers and finished 16th.

Sunderland are expecting to receive bids for Clarke in the coming months and Football Insider reports that West Ham could return for the tricky winger, having opened initial talks in January. A mid-season move was quickly ruled out by those in charge on Wearside, with play-off hopes still alive at that point and the prospect of losing a star player waved away.

But the Hammers look to have kept tabs on Clarke and are exploring the possibility of a move, with new manager Julen Lopetegui keen to strengthen his attacking options. Sunderland rejected an offer worth £10million in total from Burnley last summer and are thought to want at least £15m this time round, given his performances over the past campaign.

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West Ham have built up a reputation in snapping up top Championship talent and developing them into Premier League players, with notable examples Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma, who arrived from Hull City and Brentford respectively. They could also lose Lucas Paqueta for a considerable period, after the Football Association charged the player last month for allegedly getting booked deliberately "for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market".

Clarke’s future presents yet more uncertainty at the Stadium of Light as supporters grow increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress in their search for a manager. The Black Cats have been without a permanent head coach since sacking Michael Beale in February and despite handing Mike Dodds interim control with a plan to hire early in the summer, they have now passed 120 days and are no closer to doing so.

Meetings have been held with Frank Lampard, Scott Parker and Liam Rosenior but the latter, who was sacked by Hull City after the regular season ended, is thought to have turned down the chance to take charge. Will Still also reportedly U-turned on an agreement at the last minute, opting to accept a job offer from Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens.

That uncertainty is doing little to help Sunderland in the transfer market, with recruitment staff unsure what type of head coach they are recruiting for while transfer targets are unlikely to be convinced of a move when no manager is present. Those issues could also bleed into attempts to keep the likes of Clarke, Jobe Bellingham and the Leeds-linked defender Trai Hume. The loss of such players would considerably weaken Sunderland’s hopes of improving on last season and challenging Leeds for promotion.