13 January 2024 , 20:30
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West Ham are ready to up their interest in £20million-rated Sunderland winger Jack Clarke.
The Hammers are under increased pressure to sign a home-grown player this month after selling midfielder Conor Coventry to Charlton Athletic in midweek for an undisclosed fee.
Coventry was listed as one of eight home-grown stars in David Moyes ' 24-man Premier League squad at the start of the season and his exit now looks poised to prevent Danny Ings and Ben Johnson from leaving the club before the window closes.
Wolves and Crystal Palace have shown interest in a loan deal for Ings while Leeds are admirers of Johnson, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Tottenham also have a 25 percent sell-on clause for Clarke meaning Sunderland are likely to drive a hard bargain for the highly rated forward who remains key to their promotion hopes.
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The Black Cats rejected four bids from Burnley for the 23-year-old last summer and the Clarets also remain interested in his services. Other Premier League clubs are also believed to be at the table although Sunderland are yet to receive any offers for Clarke this month.
He has scored 12 goals in 26 Championship appearances to date this season.
Sunderland boss Michael Beale recently said on his player's future: “When you are doing what he is doing every week at the top end of the Championship there’s going to be speculation. I want that for my players — I want them to thrive.
“I’ve not heard of any inquiries come directly into the club for him, and I’d be lying if I said they would be welcome. We want Jack here playing for a strong Sunderland team and trying to see out what we are trying to do this season. I’ve been super impressed by him.”
David Moyes wants West Ham to sign another forward this month (Paul Marriott/REX/Shutterstock)West Ham also remain keen on Ajax skipper Steven Bergwijn though the Dutch giants would likely command a premium fee for the former Spurs man. It's been a wretched weeks for the Irons with injuries and they're now upping the ante in their search for attacking reinforcements.
Jarrod Bowen is expected to miss the next two matches with an ankle issue while Lucas Paqueta could be out for a significant period with a calf issue. Michail Antonio has also injured his knee shortly after returning from a lengthy lay-off - highlighting the need for some extra firepower.
Vangelis Pavlidis of AZ Alkmaar is another player that is being tracked while the club are long-term admirers of Santiago Gimenez. The Feyenoord frontman is not expected to leave the Eredivisie champions this month, however and he would not come cheap due to his prolific goalscoring record in Holland.