Sunderland looking to beat rivals to “excellent” new loan signing.

Michael Beale could get an offensive boost.

While Sunderland battle to keep Jack Clarke amidst Premier League interest this month, Michael Beale could land his own Premier League player and gain an advantage over their Championship rivals in the process.

Sunderland Transfer News
Sunderland’s main concern will be losing one of their star players in the January transfer window, with West Ham’s Clarke links unlikely to fade anytime soon. The Hammers have reportedly made an approach for the winger, and Crystal Palace and Brentford have also expressed interest. Sunderland will hope to fend off any interest in the 26-year-old, who is valued between £15m and £20 million.
If Clarke does leave The Stadium of Light, the Black Cats will need to focus their attention on attacking reinforcements as the transfer window progresses. Sunderland’s links to Kieffer Moore and Sam Gallagher suggest that they are looking to sign a forward this month, but their eventual solution could be a Premier League loan, according to reports.

According to HITC, Sunderland are looking to sign John McAtee on loan from Luton Town this month. The young forward is currently on loan at Barnsley, but the Hatters are reportedly willing to cut his loan deal short in order to promote him to a higher level. Sunderland, Ipswich Town, Cardiff City, and Plymouth Argyle are all interested in signing McAtee this month, so it could be a competitive market.
“Excellent” McAtee can give Sunderland Clarke solution.

In an ideal world, Sunderland would add to Beale’s squad this month while keeping Clarke in pursuit of Premier League promotion. However, in the worst-case scenario, McAtee could step in and replace the winger’s goals.

Clarke has 12 goals in all competitions, which is impressive given his wide role, but the Luton man would bring a different style to the Black Cats. McAtee, who can play as both an out-and-out striker and an attacking midfielder, has had just as impressive a season as Clarke. This season, the forward has nine goals and three assists for Barnsley across all competitions.
Barnsley’s loanee has shown signs of being ready to move up to the Championship, and with the Black Cats only one point behind the play-offs, they could benefit from Luton’s desire to see McAtee play at a higher level. If they can keep Clarke, they could form a formidable partnership in England’s second tier in a crucial few months.

McAtee has certainly impressed Barnsley manager Neill Collins this season, who praised the forward’s performance in a 2-1 win over Stevenage. Collins told the Barnsley Chronicle: “It was a fantastic goal.” He approached from behind, as we had requested. It was comparable to Callum Styles at Northampton. “John has been excellent.”

in other news,  Sunderland face a transfer decision following two injury setbacks.