Sheffield United secure big contract breakthrough in bid to keep "outstanding" player amid Liverpool links

Sheffield United are close to agreeing a new contract with talented young midfielder Oliver Arblaster, The Star understands, after the 20-year-old was placed on red alert for a Premier League debut in the second half of the season. The England youth international returned from a loan spell at Port Vale last month and will be involved against Brighton tomorrow [Sunday].

Arblaster, a boyhood Blade, was set to become a free agent at the end of this season and was recently linked with Liverpool, with the Premier League giants reportedly keeping tabs on the youngster. United were keen to tie him down to a new deal after his rapid progress in League One with Port Vale, which led to some Championship clubs asking to take him on loan for the second half of this season, and are close to securing his signature.

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Arblaster recently changed his representative, signing with the same agency as teammate James McAtee. He is regarded as one of the most exciting young players to graduate from the Shirecliffe youth academy in some years, as a composed midfielder that will make a dream top-flight debut sooner rather than later - following in the footsteps of academy teammates including Andre Brooks and Will Osula.

"I had two or three Championship clubs in for him, to take Oli on loan," Wilder said. "But we want him around us and to be involved in the changing room. We’ve talked about the culture here and there are some we send out on loan and some we feel will be better involved with us to get to know what we expect and demand from them during the week.

“Oliver will be involved at the weekend and he’s an outstanding young player. We had a little bit of a setback with his injury at Port Vale, but he’s worked to get himself back and has played a couple of games. He was involved in a U21 game on Tuesday night for 60 minutes. He'll definitely make his debut sooner rather than later.”

Barring any unforseen hitches Arblaster will follow the likes of Brooks and Osula in committing his future to Bramall Lane, while fellow youngsters Femi Seriki and Jili Buyabu also agreed new deals before leaving the club on loan on deadline day, to Rotherham United and Motherwell respectively.