Sheffield United: Billy Sharp talks set to continue following key admission about contracts

Chris Basham, Ben Osborn, David McGoldrick and captain Billy Sharp, whose involvement at Stoke City on Saturday is in doubt due to injury, feature on a long list of names entering the closing stages of their present deals.

Sharp has been particularly vocal about the situation, telling The Star earlier this season that he hoped the impasse would be resolved as quickly as possible before holding talks with a representative of the board three weeks ago.

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Despite sounding upbeat when asked about the progress of United’s meetings with some of their most experienced squad members, Heckingbottom admitted he is not expecting any imminent announcements. Intriguingly, he also failed to explicitly state if he has received his budget projections for next season - one for the Championship and another, with United travelling to the bet365 Stadium ranked fifth in the table, should they make an immediate return to the Premier League.

“We’ve had positive talks about the contracts,” Heckingbottom said, reminding that United possess 12 month options on some of those invited to discuss new terms. “We’ve had chats with people the club has got options on. So it’s basically still our contract.

“Things, as I say, have been pretty positive. Hopefully there will be some news in a few weeks time.”

Heckingbottom’s words suggest coaching staff have already decided which members of their current squad they want to keep and those they are happy to cut loose, despite the uncertainty about what level United will be competing at next season.

The fact they appear to be negotiating with Sharp also suggests that, rather than simply triggering the clause which would guarantee his future, they are attempting to make some adjustments to the terms contained within his present agreement. If so, that could relate to issues such as salary, duration or both.

Heckingbottom described Sharp as “touch and go” for the clash with City, after a scan on the hamstring he damaged during the 2-0 win over Barnsley a fortnight ago revealed “minor damage”.

“Hopefully, we won’t know what division we are in until June,” Heckingbottom said, referring to the race for the play-offs.