Sheffield United investment could soon boost transfer pot, independent sources claim

If successful, then it would see Paul Heckingbottom’s transfer budget receive a significant boost after it emerged he initially has just £20m to spend on new players.

Despite being beset by financial problems off the pitch, which saw the club placed under a transfer embargo for a three month period earlier this year, Heckingbottom was able to lead his side to promotion from the Championship after finishing second in the table and 11 points clear of third place.

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Although the ban on signings has now been lifted, using monies generated by United’s march into the semi-finals of the FA Cup, the meagre funds placed at the manager’s disposal following a meeting of Bramall Lane’s hierarchy confirmed the situation behind the scenes remains difficult.

That, coupled with the need to provide Heckingbottom with greater leeway in the market, has convinced owner Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to try and find wealthy individuals or organisations with the resources required to fund a serious push for top-flight survival.

That process is cloaked in secrecy, with power brokers at United preferring to brief their plans to those who adopt less critical stances towards a situation which also saw them effectively prohibited from extending the contracts of the 11 squad members whose agreements are about to expire until the English Football League’s sanction was lifted.

But several agents whose clients fit within the profile Heckingbottom and his chief talent spotter Paul Mitchell have devised believe that United’s recent manoeuvres suggest they are confident fresh revenue streams will soon be secured.

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The achievements of Heckingbottom and his squad over the past nine months have made United a more attractive takeover proposition too, with numerous members of the US business community and one independent brokerage which pairs teams which are likely to be sold with suitable buyers known to be monitoring events in South Yorkshire closely. It has been claimed they include 777 Partners, who hold stakes in Hertha Berlin, Standard Liege, Sevilla and Melbourne Victory as well as Racing Club, Paris.

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If United do finalise a deal which would enable them to reduce their dependence upon making loan and free acquisitions, it remains to be seen if that would complicate any future change at the helm or signal Prince Abdullah’s intention to continue in charge; for the time being at least.

Dozy Mmobuosi, a Nigerian agri-fintech entrepreneur, agreed a price for United with Prince Abdullah midway through the previous campaign only to see his bid stall when it failed to gain EFL approval. However, Mmobuosi has since stated that he remains committed to pushing a deal through after depositing nearly £9m in an account control by United World - the group which controls the Saudi Arabian’s portfolio of interests which also include Beerschot, Chateauroux and a baseball league in north America - before his attempted appeared to stall. Prince Abdullah has since been non-committal on whether it could be resurrected, but appeared to accuse Mmobuosi of making some payments behind schedule during an interview with United’s in-house media department last week.

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