Wrexham boss opens up on Kieffer Moore interest as Sheffield United's "slow" transfer business explained
SUFC Transfers: Rival boss opens up on United man interest as slow business explained
Phil Parkinson, the Wrexham manager, has confirmed his interest in Kieffer Moore this summer - with the Sheffield United man "one of a number of players" the Welsh side have looked at as they prepare for their Championship adventure this coming season.
As The Star revealed recently, Moore's name had been inked upon Parkinson's list of transfer targets ahead of the new campaign. The Red Dragons are keen to add Championship experience to their squad after a rapid rise through the leagues in recent years since their well-documented Hollywood takeover.
A report by journalist Alan Nixon recently claimed that Wrexham were willing to pay as much as £4m for the Welsh international, who turns 33 just before the start of the new season next month.
If that interest materialised into a concrete offer in that ballpark, it would give United a decision to make over a player who joined the Blades last summer from Bournemouth in effectively a straight swap for striker Daniel Jebbison.
"Kieffer's under contract at Sheffield United. He's one of a number of players we've looked at over the summer," Parkinson admitted this week. "Like I said, the landscape changes in the transfer market very quickly from one week to the next. We're looking at lots of options here and abroad."
Rival Championship boss addresses interest in Sheffield United man after £4m claim
Wrexham have already added former Blades transfer target Lewis O'Brien to their squad and have also signed Josh Windass following his departure from United's city rivals Wednesday earlier this summer.
Parkinson also admitted there had been "dialogue" over an ambitious move to sign Denmark international Christian Eriksen this summer after his contract at Manchester United expired. "But it's not gone any further than that," the manager added.
If Moore was prised away before the September 1 transfer deadline then it would likely change boss Ruben Selles' plans in the market. He has so far added Louie Barry and Tyler Bindon to his squad on loan, with wildcard signings Ehije Ukaki and Mihail Polendakov also arriving as part of the Blades' AI-led data policy.
Hopes of signing midfielder Djibril Soumare have been hindered by the Senegalese midfielder's wait for a visa, while Selles is also looking for a defender capable of covering at right-back and right centre-half.
But the frustration at a perceived "slow" transfer window, with the new season just over a week away, has not just been felt in South Yorkshire. "Obviously in an ideal world you want all your signers in prior to pre-season to work with," Parkinson added.
"But it just doesn't work like that. People sometimes say, why doesn't it? It's just a variety of reasons - clubs don't want to sell players, competition for players, negotiations over transfer fee or wages.
"Of course, ideally, we'd like to make a couple more additions. Is that going to happen before the start of the season? It's difficult to say. But the most important thing is by the end of August we've got a squad in here which we feel can compete."