Leeds United icon and agent of £10m ex-Whites star details contract stand-off amid injury update

Former Leeds United left-back Ian Harte is now Jack Clarke's agent and has opened the door for the winger's potential exit from the Stadium of Light this summer.

Clarke found himself a home at Sunderland after signing permanently in the summer of 2022, following a successful loan spell with the Black Cats in League One. The tricky winger's development was stunted when he decided to leave Leeds United for Tottenham, with the West Yorkshire side receiving around £10million back in 2019.

Clarke's 15 goals has him among the Championship's top-scorers - he is level with Crysencio Summerville - but ankle ligament damage has seen him out since February and ongoing uncertainty over his future has intensified in recent weeks. And now Harte, who played 288 times for Leeds between 1995 and 2004 before turning his hand at agent's work, has fuelled the fire by revealing that new contracts have been turned down.

"At the moment everything is quiet and the main focus for Jack is getting back fit, getting back in the team and helping the team," Harte told the Northern Echo. "He's had a remarkable season. We'll just have to wait and see what the summer brings for Jack and Sunderland. He has two years left at Sunderland. It depends whether clubs come in and who comes in.

"Lazio did come in in the January window, I think they bid €14 or €15 million with  €4m add-ons. Sunderland didn't think that was good enough. We'll just have to wait and see. There's not many people know it but in Jack's contract he had a few games at the start of this season then to get offered a new deal. There was a deal that was offered but it wasn't  good enough.

"We were happy to sign a deal but that was earlier on in the summer time and it hasn't been revisited. The simple fact is Jack and myself wanted to sign an additional contract last summer. This was in his contract but unfortunately the club has a structure and didn't want to break it.  We did want to engage and sign a new deal.

"Maybe in the summer that might change, we'll have to wait and see. There's always a chance. I would never close any door. Jack loves it at Sunderland Football Club so we'll just have to wait and see what the next couple of months bring."

Clarke is not expecting a return to action in the instant future and so remains a doubt for Sunderland's trip to Leeds on April 9. His absence would be a major blow for the Black Cats, whose 0-0 draw against QPR last weekend ended a six-game losing streak.