Sheffield United: Manchester City youngster interests The Blades
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After spending the second half of last season on loan with Cardiff City, having been placed with Hamburg at the beginning of the campaign, Doyle is thought to be among a number of young prospects attached to Premier League clubs identified as potential targets by Paul Heckingbottom and his coaching staff.
The midfielder, who scored twice in 20 appearances for Steve Morison’s side, has spoken of his determination to win a place in Pep Guardiola’s squad next term after graduating from City’s youth programme. But as Heckingbottom attempts to bolster his options ahead of next month’s return to Championship action, United positioned themselves at the front of the queue of teams ready to sign Doyle on loan after Guardiola sanctioned his departure.
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Hide AdSpeaking ahead of Friday’s friendly against Casa Pia, the first of six warm-up games his players will contest before August 1st’s visit to W atford , Heckingbottom identified “six or seven” positions which need filling in order to enhance their promotion prospects.
Malmo defender Anel Ahmedhodzic is among those being lined-up for a move to South Yorkshire, after Ben Davies and Filip Uremovic both left Bramall Lane earlier this summer. Although a fee for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international is believed to have been provisionally agreed between United and their Swedish counterparts, attempts to progress the deal are being delayed by the fact Bordeaux negotiated a purchase option on the 23-year-old before recruiting him on a temporary basis in January.
The six-time French title-winners are unlikely to exercise that right after being relegated to the third tier following a series of financial issues. But the agreement still needs to be unravelled before United can continue their talks with Ahmedhodzic’s employers, who are aware the centre-half also boasts admirers on the continent and at Blackburn Rovers.
Doyle, aged 20, made the first of his seven appearances for City during an EFL Cup tie against Southampton in 2019. A set-piece specialist and capable of performing a variety of different roles, Doyle was also admired by Heckingbottom’s predecessor Slavisa Jokanovic before heading to Germany.