Inside Sheffield United's search for new ownership after US consortium joins race for Blades

Prince Abdullah’s asking price for Sheffield United has been benchmarked against sales of similar-sized clubs in the recent past, The Star understands, amid fresh hope over a change of ownership at Bramall Lane. An American-based consortium have held initial talks over buying the Prince’s stake in the Blades, although they are not the only interested party.

Sources close to Bramall Lane believe that United’s relegation from the Premier League will affect the price tag on the Blades, given the drastic drop in revenue and exposure between the top-flight and the Championship, and could make it a more attractive purchase as a result. The Prince enlisted the services of renowned financial advisory firm Lazard to market United on his behalf, having seen two agreed deals - with American businessman Henry Mauriss and then Dozy Mmobuosi, the Nigerian subsequently charged with fraud by the SEC in the States - collapse in recent times.

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Lazard offer an extensive database of clients and groups who may be interested in acquiring football clubs, and put together a proposal on United before disseminating it to parties who meet the required criteria. Lazard then handle negotiations on United’s behalf, conducting due diligence and hopefully avoiding a repeat of the Mmobuosi farce which saw him repeatedly fail to provide the required financial information to satisfy the EFL’s fit and proper test.

The latest United accounts showed a directors loan of £28m, ostensibly to the Prince who pumped a big chunk of cash into the Blades during their most recent promotion campaign after deciding against selling star men Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye at that stage. Both men subsequently departed in the summer before the Premier League season, which saw United finish bottom with just £16m to their name.

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The Blades have since announced off-field investment into the Bramall Lane hotel and a new training ground at Dore, which is expected to cost between £8m and £10m to build after the cost of acquiring the HSBC sports ground site. United also recently bought two plots of land on the Bramall Lane footprint which were retained by former owner Kevin McCabe after the bitter High Court battle for control of the Blades.

The club was reunited with its assets after that hearing, via a mortgage taken out by the club, which is believed would make the club an even more attractive prospect. Interested parties were sniffing around the Blades earlier this year but relegation back to the Championship could accelerate the process. United have previously drawn up plans to redevelop Bramall Lane, focusing on the Kop as a priority, and Bramall Lane insiders have suggested that fresh investment is needed to drive those forward.

The speculation could overshadow what manager Chris Wilder has already described as the most important transfer window in the club’s recent history, with 10 players already departing after relegation and further sales - potentially including star names Anel Ahmedhodzic and Vini Souza - expected to balance the books. Planning for the rebuild has been ongoing for some time and Wilder and his recruitment team, including lead scout Jamie Hoyland and new head of recruitment Mikey Allen, are expected to seek some clarity on the developments and how they could potentially impact their summer transfer plans.