Sunderland have joined West Bromwich Albion to sign Aston Villa defender Ciaran Clark.
John Percy from the Telegraph reports that Sunderland have emerged as a potential suitor for Clark, who is believed to have a £5million release clause in his contract at Villa.
Clark, who is currently on international duty with Ireland ahead of their Euro 2016 campaign, only made 23 appearances last season for the Villans in a frustrating season which saw both Remi Garde and Tim Sherwood opt for Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards and Jores Okore over the Villa academy graduate.
The 26-year old came through Villa’s academy before making his first-team debut in 2009 under Martin O’Neill. Since first appearing in a claret and blue shirt, he has racked up an impressive 130 appearances, but for the amount of games he has played, Villa fans are still not quite convinced of his ability.
The £5million free is easily affordable for the Black Cats, but with other clubs such as West Brom also chasing him, it might not be a straight-forward transfer for Sunderland.
