HAVING completed the permanent capture of Jack Clarke over the weekend, Sunderland remain in discussions with Tottenham over the future of Troy Parrott.

Clarke signed a four-year deal with the Black Cats on Saturday to complete a return to Wearside after spending the second half of last season on loan at the Stadium of Light.

The winger has linked up with Sunderland’s first-team squad at their training base in Portugal, and is set to feature in Wednesday’s friendly with Roma, which has assumed increased importance in terms of managing game time after Saturday’s game with Rangers was abandoned at half-time because of a power outage.

Clarke was omitted from Spurs’ squad for their pre-season training camp in South Korea in order to enable him to complete his return to Wearside.

Parrott has been included in Antonio Conte’s 28-man squad for the Korea trip, which will feature matches against a Team K League select XI and Sevilla, but the Irish striker remains unlikely to have a long-term future as part of Spurs’ first-team group.

The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at League One side MK Dons, scoring ten goals in all competitions as his temporary employers narrowly missed out on winning promotion to the Championship.

Sunderland boss Alex Neil is keen to add Parrott to his squad for next season on a season-long loan basis as he accepts a need to provide some additional competition and cover for Ross Stewart.

The Black Cats have made a loan offer to Everton re-sign Nathan Broadhead, but Frank Lampard is reluctant to lose another striker until he has made signings of his own, with the recent departure of Richarlison having left a significant hole in the Toffees’ squad.

Parrott has always been regarded as an attractive alternative option, but Sunderland are now having to sit tight over the Spurs forward as well as Broadhead, with his departure to South Korea having been somewhat unexpected.

Preston and QPR will provide strong competition if Conte decides to release Parrott, with both clubs having held lodged a loan interest with Spurs officials.

The Northern Echo: Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott

A move to QPR could appeal to Parrott, as it would enable him to remain in his current base in London, although the Sunderland hierarchy will be hoping Clarke could act as a recruiting agent and help persuade his former team-mate to join him on Wearside.

Clarke became Sunderland’s second permanent signing at the weekend, following in the footsteps of Daniel Ballard, who joined from Arsenal, and Neil admits he has had to be patient in order to bring players in.

“We know we need to add more, that’s obvious,” said Neil. “The difficulty you’ve got is to get the right deals, at the right price, within the structure we’ve got, sometimes you need to wait a little bit.

“We’ve got two players (Ballard and Clarke) who are on the up, their careers going in the right direction, and that’s what our model is. To get those players is not easy, and a lot of hard work has gone into that.

“We’re really pleased with that, but equally we know there’s a lot to do. There’s clearly positions where we need more cover and competition. Go up and down the country, and I’m pretty sure every team would say the same, though.

“There’s no one round the corner ready to come in (straight away), but we’ve got discussions ongoing on a number of players where we’re talking on a daily basis, so we just need to wait and see what happens.”