Sheffield United eye fifth ex-Leeds United star to join Patrick Bamford and loan hero
Another former Leeds United star has been tipped for a potential move to Bramall Lane.
Another former Leeds United star could be playing under Chris Wilder next season amid reports of Sheffield United interest in a Marcelo Bielsa breakout youngster.
Wilder has seemingly taken a liking to former Elland Road regulars during two separate stints as Sheffield United boss. He took Jamie Shackleton on board following his Leeds contract expiry in 2024 and moved quickly to sign a few more former Championship promotion rivals following his Bramall Lane return earlier this season.
A tit-for-tat feud with Patrick Bamford was put to bed when the experienced striker joined as a free agent in November, initially signing a short-term deal which was extended a further 18 months in January. That same month, the Blades signed 2024/25 Championship title-winner Joe Rothwell from Rangers and former Leeds youngster Leo Hjelde on loan from Sunderland.
Bamford, who spent seven seasons at Elland Road, could now be joined by a former Leeds teammate from his early years under Marcelo Bielsa. The striker spent his first campaign in West Yorkshire playing alongside an 18-year-old Jack Clarke, who according to The Star has resurfaced as a possible summer target for Sheffield United.
Bramall Lane chiefs are believed to have held previous interest in the 25-year-old and could ‘resurrect’ those links amid their search for an outright left-winger. Clarke registered 16 goals and one assist for automatically promoted Ipswich Town this season but only started half of his side’s 46 league games and could fall down the pecking order if the Tractor Boys recruit heavily for Premier League survival.
Jack Clarke’s short but exciting Leeds United breakthrough
Clarke burst onto the scene in a dramatic 3-2 win at Aston Villa in December 2018, coming off the bench at half-time to score his first goal 10 minutes later. The young winger’s brilliant curled effort kickstarted the comeback as Leeds came from 2-0 down to win courtesy of Kemar Roofe’s 95th-minute winner.
That strike was the first of two league goals for Clarke who attracted plenty of Premier League attention under Bielsa. Play-off semi-final defeat to Derby County condemned Leeds to another year in the Championship and their exciting young prospect joined Tottenham Hotspur in a £10million deal before returning to Elland Road on loan.
But regular football in that 2019/20 Championship title-winning team was not forthcoming and Clarke’s season-long loan was cut short in late December. He joined QPR for the remainder of the campaign in January before two more temporary exits for Stoke City and League One Sunderland.
Having helped to get the Black Cats promoted, Clarke moved to the Stadium of Light permanently in the summer of 2022. The winger spent three years at Sunderland before a £15m move to Ipswich Town in 2024, where he has scored 19 goals in 85 appearances across the Premier League, Championship and domestic cups.