Sheffield United are eyeing up a move for a Leeds United player Daniel Farke is determined to keep this summer.
The Blades have just been relegated back to the Championship and so will be looking to put together another squad capable of winning their third promotion in seven years.
And it would appear they are looking towards their Yorkshire and potential promotion rivals in order to do so.
Much of the focus at Leeds this summer has been on who could be on their way out but so far, only Jack Harrison’s loan return to Everton has been rubber-stamped, with the window having been open almost two weeks.
Marc Roca is expected to follow soon in a permanent switch back to Real Betis, but in terms of last season’s first team squad, there has been nothing concrete as of yet.
Sheffield United eyeing move for Jamie Shackleton
Having said that, there are a handful of players who will need to make a decision on their futures quickly if they want to be at day one of pre-season testing at Leeds.
The Whites announced their retained list earlier this month, with the trigger of a one-year extension in Sam Byram’s deal the only out of contract player to have had his situation clarified.
Liam Cooper, Jamie Shackleton and Cody Drameh all still have deals on the table, though Leeds are not expecting the latter to sign it and have only done so to ensure they receive compensation when he goes elsewhere.
The other two, meanwhile, have big decisions to make following their lack of game time last season, but according to the Sheffield Star, Shackleton may well be leaning towards an exit.
It is said Sheffield United are now looking to exploit Shackleton’s indecision on a new deal at Elland Road by looking to lure him across Yorkshire to Bramall Lane.
Aside from a loan spell at Millwall in the 2022/23 campaign, Shackleton has been at Leeds all his life and so leaving would clearly be a big decision.
Shackleton should move on and accept Blades deal
Shackleton had a ‘fantastic‘ start to the season at Leeds under Farke which is why he is keen to keep him, but at 24, he is now at the age where he needs to go and play.
His last league start at Leeds came all the way back in October during a 4-1 win over Huddersfield Town, and surely he can’t be happy with this fringe role he has right now.
He struggled massively with injuries during the second half of the campaign and that could well be because of how little match action he was seeing.
A move to Sheffield United would see him join a side capable of a promotion push, while also being able to play more frequently.