Sheffield United are now pushing to get a deal for Everton defender Mason Holgate over the line before tomorrow’s deadline ticks by.
The Blades are desperate to add a new defender having conceded another three last night against Crystal Palace.
Manager Chris Wilder has made no secret of his desire to sign someone and United have been linked with a move for a number of different players.
However, according to TeamTalk, Holgate is the number one target and the Blades are hopeful of getting the deal over the line before tomorrow.
Holgate has been with Southampton this season but has spent little time playing as Russell Martin’s side have flourished without him.
TeamTalk claims that Southampton are willing to cancel the loan of Holgate to allow him to move to United.
Everton unsure over Mason Holgate to Sheffield United loan
While United feel Holgate is the ideal defender for them, there is a problem in convincing Everton to do a deal.
Despite being a big gap between the teams, Everton are wary of adding a player to what is a rival in terms of the bottom three positions. The Toffees are still in trouble after Luton’s win last night and are conscious of another points deduction coming as well.
For United, this represents a problem and it could mean Wilder’s search goes right down to the wire.
The Blades are also thought to have enquired about Harry Souttar, while Joe Worrall remains an option, albeit Nottingham Forest would rather sell than loan.
It seems, then, that things are going to go right until the end as usual and there’s a risk we end up with nobody signed.
Holgate, now 27, was valued as highly as £14m by Everton back in 2019, when United first made their interest known. But his stock has since dipped since and he is nowhere near being a starter for Sean Dyche’s squad.