MICHAEL Beale says Sunderland haven't received any Jack Clarke enquiries from Premier League clubs this month and he doesn't expect any bids to land before the end of the January transfer window.

And even if an offer is tabled, Beale says the Black Cats "are under no pressure to sell any players".

As many as six Premier League clubs are keeping tabs on Clarke's situation, with the strongest current interest coming from West Ham. Tottenham are also closely monitoring developments, with Spurs said to have inserted a 25% sell-on clause when Clarke moved to Wearside in 2021.

Clarke is used to the speculation, with Burnley having made numerous efforts to sign the winger in the summer, and Beale says his star man is unflustered by the latest transfer talk.

"What I see is a boy who is really comfortable in the changing room, really comfortable with the role he has in the team," said Sunderland's head coach.

"It's been quite seamless with me coming in, he has maintained his form, there's not much changed for him. I would say that Jack is in a really good place.

"Jack has seen quite a lot in football - he came through at a young age at Leeds, he had a big move to Tottenham and at that time Tottenham had a few changes of manager and Jack had a few loans, and then he landed here at Sunderland and it felt like a really good match.

"You don't know what tomorrow is going to bring but at this moment in time I am looking at a boy that looks hugely motivated and is enjoying his football, he's probably having the best season of his career numbers-wise and with 20 games to go the story of this season is yet to be written.

"I think Jack wants to play a big part of that. We're under no pressure to sell any players.

"In all these things, there are a lot of different angles. At the moment, Jack is super-happy, he is focused, his training level is high.

"If certain bids come in for your players as a Championship club, they are not welcome but they get to a number and the Premier League numbers can cause chaos to your season in a month like January.

"But I don't envisage anything coming our way and I know the commitment that the owners have to this season and to the project. When I was coming in to the club there weren't any concerns on that."

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Beale says top flight interest in his players is a sign that Sunderland are doing things right.

"If you're doing what he's doing week in, week out at the top end of the Championship there's going to be people speaking well of you and there's going to be speculation," he said.

"I want that for our players. That means that we're doing well as a club and the players are doing well and thriving in our environment.

"I've not heard of any enquiries coming directly into the club. I'd be lying if I said I'd welcome them because we want Jack here playing for a strong Sunderland team, certainly to see out what this team is trying to do this season. Jack seems super focused. I've been really impressed with him since I came in in terms of his work ethic and quality.

"I think the speculation is always going to be there when you're scoring the amount of goals he is. We want people talking about our club in a positive light.

"We give a lot of opportunities here to young players, there's a lot of responsibility and a lot that we ask of the young players as well in terms of their daily motivation and individual programmes for development.

"Jack has found a home here at Sunderland that has been very good for him and he is thriving.

"He's not the only one who is doing that - if you look at Trai Hume who came over from Linfield, he is thriving here too.

"We've got more than just the one player, I could name five or six, and that's exciting."