Ex-Leeds United man 'wanted' by West Ham, Brentford & Crystal Palace in possible blow to Championship rivals

Former Leeds United forward Jack Clarke is reportedly the subject of interest from up to five Premier League clubs following an impressive first half of the season with the Whites' Championship rivals Sunderland.

The 23-year-old from York has 12 goals and two assists in all competitions for the Black Cats this season, and has been their stand-out performer with Daniel Neil and Jobe Bellingham the club's second best scorers with four goals each.

Clarke's performances are said to be peaking the interest from five Premier League clubs, with the Evening Standard reporting West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Brentford are all 'weighing up' moves for the player this window.

Sunderland are sixth in the Championship, eight points behind Leeds but a potential departure for Clarke would represent a massive blow to the Black Cats' hopes of a play-off finish. Clarke came through the Leeds academy system and signed his first professional deal at Elland Road in November 2017.

He made his debut just under a year later as he came on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Brentford in October. Clarke went on to enjoy an impressive season with Leeds, which attracted the attention of Tottenham Hotspur who signed him in July 2019 for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £10million.

Clarke returned to Leeds on loan as part of the agreement, but made just three appearances before being recalled by new Spurs manager at the time Jose Mourinho. He had further loans at QPR, Stoke City and Sunderland, before joining the latter permanently in 2022.

Now he could in line for a return to the Premier League as clubs circle. West Ham have a number of injury problems that could spark transfer business while Palace are in a similar position. A reported bid of £20million would be enough to convince Sunderland to sell their star man, after Burnley were said to have had a £15million offer knocked back in the summer.