CONFIRMED: Crystal Palace join West Ham in race for Sunderland winger

Jacque Talbot

• 11 Jan 2024 08:30 CST
• 3 min read

Crystal Palace are expressing a strong interest in acquiring the services of Sunderland's rising star Jack Clarke, while West Ham are also targeting the youngster, FootballTransfers has been told.

Palace see Clarke as a promising addition to their squad but we understand that any approach is not likely to be made until the summer.

The Hammers, too, see the Sunderland winger as a valuable asset given his potential and are very keen on looking to bring him to East London at the end of the season.

While Clarke is on their radar, Palace's attention is not solely fixated on the Sunderland winger. The club is keeping an eye on multiple positions as they seek to strengthen the squad for the challenges ahead.

What positions do Palace wish to strengthen?

FootballTransfers has learned that Palace are in the market for reinforcements in the left-back, wing, and central midfield positions. However, the club's stance for the January window is clear – they will only make a move if a suitable deal presents itself. The Eagles are looking for players who can immediately contribute to the squad's improvement.

Eddie Nketiah remains a prominent target for Palace, as initially revealed by FootballTransfers. However, sources suggest that any potential deal for the Arsenal striker is more likely to materialise in the summer.

We reported that Palace made an offer to take Nketiah on loan this month, with an obligation to buy in the summer.

Towards the end of 2023, FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that Palace had moved to sign the Arsenal backup striker and that the Gunners were open to letting him go in the right circumstances.

These circumstances would certainly have included Arsenal signing a replacement for Nketiah before offloading him.

However, we revealed that Arsenal had rejected a first offer from Palace. Arsenal are still not close to signing a striker this window so any possible sale of Nketiah is off the table for now.