The manager said: “There’s nothing confirmed yet. I still think that’s a little way away, so until that point there’s no reason to comment on it.
“There are still some areas that we feel we want to add to. The forward area is one of those.
"We know that with the level of the league, and how we operate, we need great depth in those areas. We’re a team who probably made more forward substitutions than anyone last year.
"We want to be really strong in those areas and have good depth, we want to add different qualities that we think can help us be successful in the Premier League, so we’re continuing to look at that.”
And that is good news for Spurs, who inserted a sell-on clause in the deal which saw Clarke move to the Black Cats in 2022.
Spurs are reportedly due 25 per cent of any fee, which could be worth up to £5m if Clarke hits all of his performance-related add-ons, and will be at least £3.25m.
Barca have agreed to let Gundogan leave on a free transfer to help get him off their wage bill, and the player could make his second debut for City in the weekend game against Ipswich - but will need to be registered before midday today.
Maresca has insisted that the club’s current squad is not a “mess”, telling reporters: "In the USA [during preseason] we had 26 or 27 players so [are there] Chelsea players, 42, 43, yes for sure. But they are not working with me every day. I don't see them. So it is not a mess like it looks from outside, absolutely not."
The 13 training away from the group have been dubbed the ‘Bomb Squad’ and their total transfer fees have been estimated beyond £300million, including players signed by the current Todd Boehly-Clearlake regime.
A new striker has been mooted at the club for what feels like an age now, seen as the missing piece in the puzzle that could take the Gunners to the Premier League title.
Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Manuel Ugarte on a season-long loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain, with an obligation to make the move permanent.
That’s according to Manchester Evening News, who report that further talks with PSG have progressed over a deal which is now considered imminent.
A loan move, rather than a straight permanent move, means Scott McTominay will not have to be sold this summer, but the club remain open to offers for ageing pair Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
Ugarte is understood to be desperate to move Old Trafford after falling out of favour during his first season with PSG.
The Eagles are understood to have expressed their interest in Sterling to Chelsea after being alerted to his availability following his exile from the Blues first-team squad.
Sterling is seeking a move away from Chelsea in the final week of the transfer window and he has put Premier League clubs on alert by indicating he wants to stay in England.
The Juventus winger had been touted as a potential part of a deal to bring Raheem Sterling from Chelsea to Turin but TMW report on Barcelona emerging as favourites to sign him.
Chiesa is unwanted at Juve but the Spanish giants must first get rid of squad players in order to clear space and build funds for an arrival.
The Argentine was met with a swell of fans sad to see him leave the Olimpico earlier today, as it looked like he was leaving the Trigoria training ground for the last time.