Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie is now potentially worth more than double the £20m the Blades paid for him last summer.
Wales Online reports that the CIES Football Observatory now values McBurnie at somewhere between £33.3m and £41.7m.
United made the striker their club record signing when he joined from Swansea City in August. BBC Sport says an initial £17.5m was paid, which could rise to £20m depending on add-ons.
McBurnie no longer holds the record, which was broken in January when Sander Berge arrived at Bramall Lane from Genk in a £22m deal (BBC Sport).
Does McBurnie worth reflect his performances?
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The Scotland international was the marquee signing of last summer following the Blades’ promotion to the Premier League. Yet it has taken him some time to settle into his role in South Yorkshire.
That said, manager Chris Wilder clearly rates the 23-year-old, with him playing in all but two of their league matches so far. Which should perhaps come as no surprise after such a hefty fee was paid.
McBurnie has four goals to his name to date, including winners against Brighton and Hove Albion and West Ham United. He also came off the bench to bag a late equaliser in the 3-3 draw with Manchester United.
But those modest statistics don’t quite tell the whole story. McBurnie was arguably the Blades’ best player in their last outing – a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth.
The Scot’s holdup play and ability to bring teammates into the game was astounding. Whenever goalkeeper Dean Henderson or the defenders decided to go long, McBurnie performed as the ideal target-man.
Yet unlike other forwards at the club who act as the link between midfield and attack, like David McGoldrick, the former Swansea man has shown he has a killer eye for goal.
McBurnie’s run in behind and finish under pressure against Brighton was particularly reflective of that. While his strike against Man United showed great positional awareness and a sharpness in the box.
