Omar Colley - Who is he and why are Sheffield United interested in the Sampdoria defender?

Chris Wilder refused to comment on reports yesterday linking him with a loan approach for Jesse Lingard, but The Star understands they are accurate.

But that move would not solve the problem at left centre-half left by Jack O'Connell - which is why reports linking United with Omar Colley refuse to go away.

Who is he?

Born in Gambia, Colley is a 28-year-old defender who plays for Sampdoria. He has 24 caps for his country and has made seven appearances in Serie A this season, the latest coming on Saturday in a 3-1 win over Crotone.

Colley tested positive for Covid-19 back in March.

Who else wants him?

The defender has been linked, as is often the case nowadays, with a host of other clubs.

Fenerbahce are thought to be keen, while Liverpool were credited with an interest earlier this year.

Celtic and Fulham also looked at Colley in the last transfer window, but Fulham signed former Blades target Terence Kongolo in January.

What about the Blades' interest?

Reports from overseas suggest that Colley was "close" to signing for the Blades earlier this year.

The interest is obvious - Colley is an experienced, left-footed centre-half, which is key in O'Connell's absence. It's a position the Blades have struggled to fill since the former Brentford man went under the knife for surgery on his knee.

Back in October, Colley's agent said: “At the moment I see his transfer to the Premier League as very difficult, almost impossible. The hottest teams remain Sheffield United and Fulham, but Sampdoria wants the sale while the English clubs are focused more on other targets. There is also a problem related to the passport and the time to close the transfer is practically over.”

Anything else?

Colley is a former teammate of United's Sander Berge - the two played together at Genk - and United boast a wealth of knowledge and contacts in Belgium thanks to their partnership with Beerschot. But Sampdoria are not thought to be keen on the idea of loaning Colley - and Chris Wilder said recently that his January business would be focused on temporary arrivals.

Thank you for reading this article, one of dozens we publish every single day to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative coverage of YOUR club. This depth of Blades coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to from the football team at The Star, please consider taking out a subscription to our new discounted sports-only package. You'll find all the details HERE. Your support is much appreciated. Chris Holt, Football Editor