Sheffield United's Championship rivals in 'advanced talks' to sign striker as midfielder bid 'accepted'
All the very latest Championship transfer rumours with less than a fortnight to go until the start of the 2026/27 campaign.
Following an unbeaten pre-season campaign, Sheffield United will be targeting a winning start to the 2026/27 season when they take on Mansfield Town in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Sunday afternoon.
The Blades brought their pre-season preparations to a close in Germany on Saturday, drawing 0-0 with VfL Bochum. This meant they won four and drew two of their six summer friendlies.
Manager Chris Wilder’s focus now switches to his side’s first competitive fixture of the new campaign this weekend, with the Blades looking to start this season much quicker than they started last term.
Since adding Matt Doherty to their ranks a fortnight ago, United have failed to add any further new faces to their squad, meaning there is an element of pressure creeping in ahead of the start of the new Championship campaign in less than two weeks' time.
With the start of the 2026/27 Championship campaign edging closer, clubs are actively trying to strengthen their squads ahead of the big kick-off. With that in mind, here are some of the latest transfer rumours concerning United's second-tier rivals...
Swans ‘confident’ of landing Stewart
Swansea City are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign former Southampton striker Ross Stewart, according to a report by Football Insider. The Scotland international is available on a free transfer after leaving the Saints earlier this summer.
A host of Championship clubs have been linked with the 30-year-old, but it has been claimed that Swansea, who tied head coach Vítor Matos down to a new contract last week, have ‘moved ahead’ of their second-tier counterparts in the race to secure his signature.
Despite his injury problems, Stewart scored 11 goals in 33 appearances for Southampton across all competitions last season, including the opener in their famous 2–1 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Arsenal at St Mary’s.
Swansea have already allowed striker Liam Cullen to leave the club this summer, while uncertainty continues to surround Žan Vipotnik’s future in Wales. The latter scored 23 Championship goals last season to claim the division’s Golden Boot.
North End ‘accept’ Whiteman offer
According to a report by BBC Sport Lancashire, Preston North End have ‘accepted a bid’ from Wrexham for midfielder Ben Whiteman. The former Sheffield United man was accused of “trying to force a move” by Lilywhites manager Paul Heckingbottom after playing no part in his side’s 1-0 defeat to Stockport County over the weekend.
After Heckingbottom said he hoped Wrexham would stump up the cash required to try and extract the 30-year-old from Deepdale, it appears a move to the Racecourse Ground has moved one step closer for the United academy graduate. The value of Wrexham’s offer has not been disclosed.
Whiteman joined Preston from Doncaster Rovers in January 2021 and has racked up 224 appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals. He was a key figure for the Lancashire outfit last season, starting 43 of their 46 Championship matches.
Addressing Whiteman’s situation on Saturday, Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Ben told me he'd played his last game for the club. He's trying to force a move which is an issue for me and for the players.
"Ben knew there was a line I didn't want him to cross and unfortunately he has, and you can't have that. There's a valuation on him, I just hope for Ben's sake that Wrexham are willing to pay it otherwise he's put himself in a really sticky situation.
"He's made his bed. I'm not bothered as long as I get another player."