Sunderland manager Régis le Bris has refused to rule out the departure of Ipswich Town target Jack Clarke.

However, the Frenchman stressed that he expects his talisman to be involved in the Black Cats’ trip to Burnley, which kicks off at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues have launched a bid of £15 million plus add-ons for the winger, with talks believed to be at an advanced stage.


iNews have since reported that, while the initial offer falls below their valuation, they're willing to 'reluctantly cash in' on their talisman this summer and are braced for his exit from the Stadium of Light.

Le Bris was unable to comment on the negotiations, although admitted that the nature of the transfer market means that things can progress quickly.

Clarke registered 15 goals and four assists in the Championship last seasonClarke registered 15 goals and four assists in the Championship last season (Image: PA)

"Jack trained this morning, which is my main concern, so he is able to play this weekend at the moment,” he said in his pre-match press conference (via the Northern Echo).

"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."

Asked whether Clarke would be in the right headspace to play for Sunderland on Saturday, Le Bris replied: “Yes, I think so. I think that our job is really evolving with years.

"Now the players know that many things can happen and they are very stable in their mindset. Here today (they think) I am a player of Sunderland playing for Sunderland and if something changes I change but at the moment I'm 100% for Sunderland and that's the case of Jack.

"He's been working with Doddsy [Mike Dodds] on his previous game, working on his clips and what he can improve. For me he is still with us. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be working with Doddsy to improve himself. We are professional, this market is unstable, something could happen in one direction or the other. We'll see."

Ipswich aren’t the only side who’ve been linked with a move for Clarke. Southampton, who were promoted alongside the Blues after winning the Championship play-offs last season, have reportedly been keeping an eye on the 23-year-old as well.

However, Saints boss Russell Martin has revealed that he’s prioritising a move for another left winger, making a swoop for Clarke unlikely.

“He's a player that done very, very well in the Championship over the last couple of seasons,” he admitted. “We've been linked to a number of players over the summer. A lot of them are miles away and I've never even heard of some of them.

“Some of them have been one chat in the building maybe or watched a few videos and that's it. Left wing is not a place where we are really light on numbers right now. So Ben Brereton-Diaz plays there, Sam Edozie plays there. We have other guys that can operate there.

“So I wouldn't say it's high on the priority list right now. Jack is a really talented player. His agent Lee is a very, very good friend of mine. And he would know, as I would know, I think if it was anywhere near to being done or we were really in that race. At this moment in time, we are not.”