Sunderland have accepted Town’s bid for forward Jack Clarke.
Last night, news emerged that the club had made their move for the 23-year-old left-sided attacker and TWTD can confirm, as per reports elsewhere, that the Black Cats have now accepted that offer.
The fee is £15 million up front, potentially rising to £20 million. Clarke’s former club Tottenham are due 25 per cent of the fee from a sell-on.
York-born Clarke joined the Leeds United academy in 2009 and went on to make his first steps in senior football with the Whites in 2018, going on to make five starts and 20 sub appearances, scoring two goals.
His performances for the West Yorkshiremen led to an £8,500,000 move to Tottenham in July 2019, after Town boss Kieran McKenna had left the North Londoners.
Spells on loan back at Leeds, QPR, Stoke and Sunderland followed before the switch to Wearside was made permanent in July 2022, signing a four-year deal.
Lazio, West Ham United and Southampton had previously been linked with Clarke, who scored 15 times and recorded four assists last season.
Overall for Sunderland, the former England U20 international has made 90 starts and four sub appearances, scoring 27 times.
The Blues have been on the lookout for a left-sided forward with a move for Hull City’s Jaden Philogene coming close to completion before the England U21 international instead opted to rejoin Aston Villa.
Town are still working through the paperwork relating to Armando Broja’s loan move from Chelsea with no announcement now expected until Friday.
Clarke and Broja will be the Blues’ 10th and 11th signings of the summer with the 12th - and perhaps last of the summer - likely to be a centre-half with Town looking to bring in Anel Ahmedhodžić from Sheffield United.