Anel Ahmedhodzic transfer state of play as Sheffield United star defender linked with big-money Napoli move

Sheffield United's board of directors may soon have a big decision to make if reported interest in their star defender Anel Ahmedhodzic materialises into a concrete offer. The current Blades captain has been linked with a move away from Bramall Lane, with Italian giants Napoli mooted as a potential destination.

The Bosnian has been earmarked for a key role by boss Chris Wilder, who made him his captain over other candidates such as Ollie Norwood and Jack Robinson after returning to United last month. Ahmedhodzic called the chance to wear the armband for the first time in his career a great "honour" - although neglecting to wear the rainbow version, in support of the Premier League's rainbow laces in his first game as skipper against Liverpool, attracted criticism in some quarters.

Despite being one of the players on United's squad list that many observers felt would have no problems stepping up to the Premier League, Ahmedhodzic has had an indifferent campaign at best, with transfer interest in the summer after promotion having the potential to unsettle him. He has not played since Boxing Day after being suspended against Manchester City and then left out of the squad for the FA Cup trip to Gillingham but with John Egan and Chris Basham out, Ahmedhodzic remains the only right-footed senior centre-half on United's books and boss Wilder will be loathe to lose him in a window that has already proved difficult enough to do business.

Wilder will be asked about the situation with his captain when he faces the media on Friday to preview Sunday's clash against West Ham United but earlier this week at least, senior officials at Bramall Lane seemed unconcerned despite rumours - including one that Napoli had made a concrete bid - rapidly doing the rounds. In football there is not often smoke without fire but also, especially in the January transfer window, things can appear to be gathering pace when, in real life, not much has actually changed. How often was Sander Berge supposed to be on the move - including once, ironically, to Napoli - before nothing materialised, until last summer?

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Some supporters took Ahmedhodzic's dad Mirsad removing himself from a well-known United group on Facebook as a bad sign. One screenshot, purporting to show a Facebook conversation in which Ahmedhodzic Sr. discusses his son's future, later did the rounds on social media. In modern-day football any desire from a player to move usually proves definitive but in this case it is United who hold the cards, unlike in the summer when Berge and Iliman Ndiaye were both sold.

Ahmedhodzic is under contract for two more seasons at least after this one and as a player with a high ceiling, a young international still with room to improve and the captain of the Blades, his value should reflect that key status. Prince Abdullah, the United owner, is already on record stating that he doesn't think any players will be sold in this window, "unless we get a very good offer". A fee of €20m, or around £17m, has been mooted in the Italian press.

But as things stand Ahmedhodzic remains a United player, still with a decent time on his contract, and Wilder will demand that he remains completely focused on the club's survival bid while ever he is at Bramall Lane. The sales of Ndiaye and Berge in the summer were understandable from a business point of view, but disastrous from a footballing one, and any serious bid for another of the Blades' key men would give Prince Abdullah a real decision to make.