Sheffield United are among a cluster of clubs who want to sign Derby County star, Tom Lawrence, who is set to leave Pride Park for nothing this summer.
Lawrence was one of the stars of the show for Wayne Rooney’s Derby last season. The 28-year-old scored 11 goals for the Rams but was powerless to prevent them dropping into League One. And now, with Rooney gone and players moving on amid the club’s off-field issues, Lawrence is set to leave.
The Daily Mail reports that West Brom are keen on signing Lawrence. However, there is competition from United and others, who are keen to bring the former Manchester United man in.
So far, the transfer window has been a frustrating one for Sheffield United. The club are yet to sign a player and have missed out on the likes of Daniel Ballard and Joe Rothwell, amongst others. Lawrence’s availability on a free-transfer will be appealing to Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom.
Working on a limited budget, Heckingbottom has admitted that he’s going to be looking at the loan and free market.
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People will have views on Lawrence as he’s been involved in a few off-field problems while with Derby. But on the field, he is a class act and would go some way to helping United fill a key position.
He brings goals from midfield, which is hard to find in the Championship. He’s also a massive threat from set-pieces and at 28, should be in his prime years right now. In terms of freebies, they won’t come much better than Lawrence for Sheffield United. If it is a deal we can get done, then on paper, it looks like one we simply have to push for.
Lawrence has enjoyed a number of good spells at different clubs. Indeed, while with Blackburn, he was lauded as being a ‘fabulous talent’ by Gary Bowyer, who called him a ‘joy to watch’.