Monaco and Nice are among the clubs reportedly tracking teenage forward Lamine Sidibe, but Sheffield United are in a much stronger contractual position than when previous academy talents were lured away from Bramall Lane.

While much of the focus at Sheffield United this summer is on incoming players, the Blades are also wary of the possibility of transfer bids for some of their key players. Gus Hamer’s future is constantly speculated about, with the forward entering the final year of his contract soon.

United are bracing themselves for interest in midfielder Sydie Peck while fellow academy products Andre Brooks and Femi Seriki were both the subject of bids in January which the Blades turned down.

But further down the pecking order there are also players in the Shirecliffe system who are said to be courted elsewhere, including talented teenager Lamine Sidibe. The 18-year-old forward has been linked with a number of clubs abroad by journalist Rudy Galetti.

Ligue 1 sides AS Monaco and Nice are amongst the reported admirers of the Mali youth international, along with clubs in Italy. Sidibe signed his first professional deal with United late last year, which runs until 2029.

That will give the Blades some more protection than they have been afforded in the past when some of their promising young starlets have been prised away, including Will Lankshear. His scholarship contact, and United’s status as a category two academy, effectively stripped them of any real power when Tottenham Hotspur signed the striker a few years back.

Sidibe is a product of the Football Unites, Racism Divides scheme, based a decent goal kick away from Bramall Lane at the U-Mix Centre. After Sidibe’s family moved to Sheffield from Spain when he was 11, his father contacted United to ask for advice on where his son could play football and was referred to FURD.

After impressing there he was offered a trial at United and subsequently signed for the Blades academy, since impressing for the U18s and appearing in the U21s.

With United preparing for the loss of parachute payments this summer and further limited by new squad cost ratio rules, they are not in a position to pull up the shutters in terms of bids for any of their players.

But Unitedites have been stung in the past so many times in terms of selling the family silver too cheaply - and will hope that the club has finally learned their lesson.