'Understand...' - Craig Hope reveals Sunderland 'in talks' to sign 'excellent' £25k-p/w gem

The Daily Mail’s northeast football reporter Craig Hope has revealed that Sunderland are now ‘in talks’ to sign Jack Clarke on a permanent deal this summer.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a great loan spell at the Stadium of Light on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last season, where he managed one goal and four assists and was a mainstay in Alex Neil’s side which won promotion to the Championship after victory in the League One play-off final (Transfermarkt).

The winger ranked as the Black Cats’ seventh-best performer in the division, as he picked up three man-of-the-match awards and averaged an impressive 1.5 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game (WhoScored).

Taking to Twitter, Hope has revealed that the Wearside club are now ‘in talks’ with Spurs over the possibility of bringing Clarke back for another campaign.

He stated: “Understand Sunderland are in talks with Spurs over a deal to re-sign winger Jack Clarke, who was on loan at Stadium of Light last season.”

Hope then added that the talks are centred around a permanent deal for the player, saying: “Talks centre around a permanent deal. I thought Clarke was excellent towards end of season, would be a very good signing imo.”

If Sunderland can bring Clarke to the Stadium of Light on a permanent basis, it is surely a no-brainer.

Of course, a suitable fee would need to be discussed, and his £25,000-per-week wages would likely have to be curtailed quite significantly in order not to break the club’s wage structure.

Nonetheless, if they can sign the 21-year-old Englishman again, Sunderland supporters will surely be very happy.

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