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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Dom Smith

Jack Clarke: West Ham, Crystal Palace and Brentford in race for Sunderland top scorer

West Ham, Crystal Palace and Brentford are all weighing up a January transfer window move for Sunderland winger Jack Clarke.

The 23-year-old, formerly of Tottenham, attracted plenty of interest from Premier League sides last summer and is doing so again this month.

Standard Sport understands West Ham, Palace and Brentford are three of at least five Premier League clubs considering a bid for the York-born winger.

Clarke is far and away Sunderland’s highest scorer this season. His 12 Championship goals have been crucial to the Black Cats’ rise to sixth in the table, as they eye a Premier League return for the first time since 2017.

Sunderland are understandably keen to keep hold of Clarke for the second half of the season, but a bid north of around £20million could prompt serious consideration.

Injuries to Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio and Mohammed Kudus’s participation at the Africa Cup of Nations have left West Ham struggling for attacking options at the beginning of the new year.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are without Michael Olise for the rest of the month due to a hamstring injury and have lacked goals all season.

Brentford, 16th in the table, have lost seven of their last eight matches in the Premier League, and are in the market for attackers following injuries to Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade, with Yoane Wissa at AFCON.

Burnley reportedly had a £15m bid for Clarke rejected by Sunderland in August, following the Clarets’ promotion back to the top flight.

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