Sunderland are ready to reluctantly cash in on Jack Clarke – but Ipswich Town are likely to have to raise their initial offer of £15m plus £5m in add-ons.
Ipswich have made the first concrete move with a package worth a total of £20m with i first revealing their interest earlier this summer.
The Black Cats’ asking price has been closer to £25m although hopes of a bidding war are fading.
Southampton manager Russell Martin officially ruled his club out of the race on Thursday and Leeds United’s tentative interest also appears to be over after they signed Almeria winger Largie Ramazani.
That leaves Ipswich as the most likely destination for Clarke, who has two years left on his current deal and is unlikely to sign a new contract. Tottenham Hotspur would be due 25 per cent of any fee under the terms of his move from north London in 2022.
His agent Ian Harte declined to offer any assurances about his future when i spoke to him on Wednesday, saying he was “unable to speak about” Clarke at the moment. That stance reflects the delicate nature of the winger’s situation.
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris confirmed he is in the squad to play Burnley on Saturday and he would be involved at the Stadium of Light unless a move advanced significantly. He said he had “no concerns” about his frame of mind with a Premier League exit moving closer.
Indeed Clarke trained as normal with his Sunderland teammates on Thursday morning, working on video analysis with coach Mike Dodds, and Le Bris says that he is likely to be involved this weekend.
“Jack trained [Thursday] morning, which is my main concern. So he is able to play this weekend at the moment,” he said.
But there has been a shift in tone at Sunderland that tallies with the feeling that the club are ready to sell Clarke at the height of his value rather than allow him to move towards the final year of his contract.
“Many of our players are targeted by the other teams because the transfer window is like this when you have talented players in the squad.
“These are the rules of the transfer window, we need to be confident and it is good news to have these players in our squad. Sometimes, they can leave, this is the rule of our job. We will see.”
Sunderland have been busy themselves in the transfer market, with a loan move for Zenit St Petersburg forward Wilson Isidor at an advanced stage. The 23-year-old, who played under Le Bris at Rennes, is travelling to Wearside for a medical.
The Black Cats are also in advanced talks with Red Bull Salzburg to sign Croatia U21 international Roko Simic.
A replacement for Clarke could also be lined up before next week’s deadline.
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