Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan believes that Jack Clarke's potential transfer away from the club has stalled because of his price tag.

The Sunday Mirror (26/05,p69) previously reported that the Elland Road side told Tottenham that it would cost them £20 million to secure the services of Clarke, after football.london reported that Leeds had turned down a £10million offer from Spurs for the attacking midfielder.

Clarke's move appears to have stalled since then, and Whelan believes that is because of his price tag, as he told Football Insider: “Leeds have overpriced the young man from what I hear.

“They want £20million for him and he’s not worth that. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves."

Having made 25 senior appearances and scored twice for Leeds in his debut season for the club during the last campaign, Whelan believes that it is important not to get carried away with Clarke's valuation, and when asked about his opinion on Clarke's valuation, he added: “£12million is a lot of money, but £20million is overpricing a player. You have to be sensible with a player’s valuation. He still has a long way to go."

Despite the interest in Clarke, Whelan admits that he would still like to see the 18-year-old at Elland Road next season, claiming: “Don’t get me wrong, I’d love him to stay at Leeds and progress as a player, but we will see if that happens.”

Along with Tottenham, it is thought that Premier League side Bournemouth, Southampton and Crystal Palace are all also interested in Clarke.

The verdict

I think Whelan is right here.

There is no doubt Clarke has potential, but this has only been his first season in the game, and even then his appearances have been sporadic and at times unconvincing.

If you compare the reported price tags of a number of similar players to Clarke, it seems as though there are more experienced players, with more proven quality, available for a cheaper price.