On Monday, Corriere dello Sport indicated Lazio aren’t giving up their pursuit of Sunderland’s Jack Clarke in the winter market.
The winger has starred for the Black Cats this season, scoring 13 goals and registering three assists, and the Serie A side are keen on bringing him to the club this week.
Italian journalist Alfredo Pedullà says the Sunderland player has ‘given the green light’ to join Lazio. He believes it’s a ‘unique opportunity’ to make a jump from the Championship to Serie A.
The Biancocelesti have to agree a deal with Michale Beale’s side and to do this, there was a conference call between the two clubs on Monday afternoon.
Earlier claims had stated Sunderland want €30m for the Englishman, but Pedullà says that isn’t the case and their demand is around €20-22m plus bonuses. Lazio haven’t come close to meeting that request yet.
Sunderland are of the belief the 23-year-old’s valuation will rise if he continues to shine until the end of this season.
Meanwhile, Gianluca Di Marzio explains that there’s ‘a long distance’ between Lazio and the Black Cats over Clarke’s valuation.
The attacker is seen as an ‘ideal profile’ to bolster Maurizio Sarri’s side, who have made an offer of €16m, which is €4m short of Sunderland’s demand according to Di Marzio’s report.
As we stated on Monday, Serie A clubs often believe they can buy good Championship players for less than reality then tells them. This looks like another case of that, and unless Sunderland collapse and drop their demands (their real demands, not the hopeful Italian slant) significantly, this one still looks unlikely.
