Sheffield United withdrew from the race for in-demand striker

Joseph was on the verge of moving to Bramall Lane nearly a year ago, when United shoe-horned him into a proposed deal which would also have seen Antonee Robinson arrive at Bramall Lane.

However, when Robinson’s wage demands saw him complete a transfer to Fulham instead, the swoop for Joseph also collapsed because it was so intertwined with United’s bid for the USA defender.

Although Wilder would have urged his board of directors to try and resurrect it had he remained at the helm, the 53-year-old’s exit coupled with Rhian Brewster’s arrival for a record £23.5m fee, saw Joseph’s name wiped from United’s list of potential transfer targets.

Capped seven times by Scotland at youth level despite being born in north London, Joseph now appears destined for Swansea City instead after talks between the Welsh club and Athletic reached an advanced stage.

Aged 19, he has scored five times in 13 senior starts since breaking into the first team at the DW Stadium.

Joseph’s contract in Greater Manchester is about to expire, but City will be required to pay a compensation fee if, as expected, he is unveiled by last term’s beaten Championship play-off finalists.

Slavisa Jokanovic who took charge of United following their relegation from the Premier League, has made midfield a priority position during this summer’s transfer window with Sander Berge expected to be sold and John Lundstranm refusing to extend his stay.

The Serb could make changes in attack, but is expected to assess the options at his disposal when he officially begins work next month. Despite being named as Wilder’s permanent successor in May, Jokanovic pledged to honour his agreement with Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa before taking over the reins in South Yorkshire.

Previously of Watford, Fulham and Partizan Belgrade, the former Chelsea player is scheduled to attend several fixtures at the European Championships as part of an information gathering and networking exercise.