Exclusive:Sheffield United make transfer moves for England-capped pair ahead of veteran transfer decision
Exclusive: Sheffield United make transfer moves for England-capped pair ahead of veteran transfer decision
Sheffield United have handed two more former Premier League stars the chance to potentially earn a contract with the Blades this season after welcoming them to their Shirecliffe training base, The Star understands. As we revealed last week, former Burnley and Brentford man Ben Mee is effectively on trial with the Blades.
And the 35-year-old defender, on whom United are expected to make a decision on this week, could be joined at Bramall Lane by two more players with bags of Premier League experience in former Liverpool and West Ham United striker Danny Ings, and his fellow former England international Nathan Redmond.
Both players have links to Blades chief Ruben Selles going back to their time together at Southampton and are both currently free agents. Ings has been without a club since leaving West Ham earlier this year while Redmond most recently played for Burnley.
Ings cost the Saints £18m when he moved from Liverpool in 2019, after an initial loan spell, while Redmond, still only 31 years of age, has played most of his career football in the Premier League.
The Blades are keen to add more options on the wing ahead of next week’s transfer deadline, having been interested in Lewis Koumas before the Liverpool youngster joined their Championship rivals Birmingham City over the weekend, and are a forward light after allowing Kieffer Moore to join Wrexham on the eve of the new season.
Exclusive: Sheffield United make transfer moves for England-capped pair ahead of veteran transfer decision
United can sign free agents at any point, and are not bound by the constraints of the transfer window which slams shut at 7pm next Monday, September 1. But a run of four defeats from their first four games under Selles has intensified the need for United to find solutions sooner rather than later, whether on the training pitch or via the transfer market.
The Blades are closing in on a deal for Japhet Tanganga of Millwall while reports in Serbia have suggested that Red Star Belgrade “expect” United to meet the €5m release clause in the contract of South Korean right-back Seol Young-woo before the deadline.
If that is the case then United’s lack of defensive options could suddenly become an embarassment of riches, especially if Tanganga and Mee are added to Selles’ existing options at the back. In that eventuality the Spaniard could have Seol, new boys Ben Godfrey and Nils Zatterstrom, Femi Seriki, Tyler Bindon, Jack Robinson, Tanganga and Mee to choose from for three spots in his back line.
One player who won’t be part of that equation is left-footed defender Rhys Norrington-Davies, who is scheduled to spend the rest of the season at Queens Park Rangers after sealing his loan deal to United’s Championship rivals this afternoon.
The defender had been told earlier in the summer that he could leave the Lane if more defensive reinforcements arrived before the deadline, as he looks to resurrect his career following a devastating period with injuries.
“With significant Championship experience and exposure to the Premier League, we are delighted to welcome Rhys for the 2025/26 campaign,” QPR chief executive Christian Nourry said. “He brings tenacity and has an aggressive playing style.”