Sheffield United ‘keeping tabs’ on Norwich City man previously linked with £20m switch

Sheffield United are thought to be keeping tabs on Andrew Omobamidele’s situation at Norwich City this summer as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

As The Star revealed recently, United have made contact with the Championship club about a potential transfer deal for one of their players this summer.

Omobamidele’s fellow defenders Dimitris Giannoulis and Max Aarons face uncertain futures in Norfolk but it’s understood that a watching brief has also been kept on Omobamidele, a teammate at international level of Blades defender John Egan.

Speculation over Omobamidele’s future has only intensified after the Canaries confirmed the signing of another Irish international centre-half in Shane Duffy from Brighton, with Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber expecting Omobamidele to move on this summer.

However, the valuation Norwich are expected to place on the classy centre-half’s head could prove a big stumbling block to any potential move. Webber claimed that City turned down £20m for the 20-year-old in the January transfer window and anticipated more interest this summer, after his side’s 13th-placed finish in the Championship.

“That’s what we think of Andrew and the level of club that is talking to us about him,” Webber added. “So I think there is a big possibility he could go in this window, if I’m honest.

“Do we want him to? No. But it will get to a point where if it helps us do other stuff at the club, and also if it’s right for the player. The one in January actually wasn’t right for us and probably wasn’t quite right for him as well at that time when I spoke to him and about him.

“If we start here on September 1 with Andrew, I’d be very surprised and very happy.”

United boss Paul Heckingbottom is currently working to a £20m budget this summer and City’s valuation of Omobamidele would have to be dramatically lowered for United to be in play, as things stand. Leicester City and Nottingham Forest have also been linked with the youngster, who has six caps for the Republic of Ireland and was earlier this week the subject of a documentary on City’s social channels.