With Premier League clubs reportedly monitoring Sydie Peck, we look at eight examples of young Championship players commanding significant transfer fees.

Sheffield United gaffer Chris Wilder has taken his stance on the potential sale of star midfielder Sydie Peck and insisted that he wants to build around this type of player, but amid reports of several Premier League clubs hunting the 23-year-old’s signature, what sort of price can Unitedites expect their biggest asset to be sold for?

Naturally, the January market inflates the prices of players, so United would be looking to up the ante on the price if they did opt to cash in this winter, but one of the the most fitting comparisons still has it’s limitations.

Adam Wharton made his big move in January 2024, leaving his beloved boyhood club Blackburn Rovers to sign for Premier League side Crystal Palace for a reported £18m fee, not including any potential add-ons. The now two-time major trophy winner was 19 years old at the time of the sale, and there is a fair argument to suggest that Rovers accepted an offer that was potentially short of the player’s value in the 2020s midfielder market. It could also be said that at the time of his departure, Wharton was peerforming at a higher standard than Peck currently is, and he arrived at Selhurst Park five days before his 20th birthday. United’s man will turn 23 next September.

Nevertheless, Wharton departed the Championship side for a total fee in the region of £20m, and Palace fans now expect the midfielder to be sold for at least £80m within the next couple of years, depending on whether they remain in the top flight. Reports suggested that Manchester City were sniffing around the midfielder this summer before they were told that Wharton wasn’t interested in the move, meaning they didn’t formally submit an offer and consequently spent around £115m on Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson. The point is that Unitedites view Peck in a similar way that Blackburn’s faithful knew it was highly likely that their starlet was going on to bigger things than what their own club could offer in the short term.

Most recently, Hayden Hackney’s transfer to Everton reportedly cost the Toffees £16.5m upfront, in a deal that could rise to £24m. Despite the 24-year-old having just one year left on his Middlesbrough contract, the North West club banked a tidy profit on the midfielder. Just like Wharton, he was an academy product of his boyhood club, signing his first professional contract with them on his 17th birthday. He first wore the armband for Boro when he was just 21, before securing a move to the highest division nearly two and a half years later.

Another example would be 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham’s move from Sunderland to German outlet Borussia Dortmund last summer. The recent England call-up followed his older brother’s footsteps and opted for a move to the Bundesliga club, despite his own team having just clinched promotion to the PL. Jobe cost Dortmund approximately £30m, which trumped his brother’s fee by around £10m, and he was two years older when he made the switch. Sunderland had made an incredible profit on the midfielder, after signing him for only a few million pounds two years prior, which, although it’s not quite the same ‘quick flip ’, Peck cost United a minimal amount. In terms of Jude, though, Birmingham City were laughed at for retiring his shirt number when he departed. Now, he could possibly be the greatest player ever to grace the Championship, having won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga in 2023/24 during his debut season at Real Madrid - not to mention he has been the most clutch player for England in the last few major tournaments.

Player	Position	Age	Selling club	Buying club	Reported fee (Excl add-ons)	Transfer Window
Adam Wharton	CM	19	Blackburn Rovers	Crystal Palace	Approx £18m	January 2024
Jobe Bellingham	CM	19	Sunderland	Borussia Dortmund	Approx £30m	Summer 2025
Jude Bellingham	CM	17	Birmingham City	Borussia Dortmund	Approx £20m	Summer 2020
Alex Scott	CM	19	Bristol City	Bournemouth	Approx £25m	Summer 2023
Archie Gray	CM	18	Leeds United	Spurs	Approx £25m	Summer 2024
Hayden Hackney	CM	24	Middlesbrough	Everton	Approx £16.5m (contracted for one more year)	Summer 2026
Ben Godfrey	CB	22	Norwich City	Everton	Approx £25m	Summer 2020
Jacob Greaves	CB	23	Hull City	Ipswich Town	Approx £18m	Summer 2024
Djed Spence	RB	21	Middlesbrough	Spurs	Approx £12.5	Summer 2022

In terms of other central midfielders, though, Alex Scott’s transfer from Bristol City to Bournemouth in the summer window of 2023 and Archie Gray’s move from Leeds United to Spurs a year later were both in the region of £25-30m. The same argument made for Wharton could be made for this pair as well, especially Scott, who was handed his first England cap last month.

So, in terms of what this means for Sheffield United and Sydie Peck, the new United owners have the power in their hands for the first time during their tenure at Bramall Lane. They should use this as an opportunity to send a message of intent to Blades supporters and show that they will back their manager and build the team around the midfielder. In recent years, the club has sold its most valuable assets for sums that were short of their value. Admittedly, there were extenuating circumstances before - but not this time around. Peck is under contract at United until at least 2028. The 22-year-old’s hat-trick against Preston earlier this month has certainly raised eyebrows and turned heads, but United are under no obligation to sell. Therefore, this puts the club at a huge advantage. Essentially, the club could set their price at whatever they deem suitable for the Young Lion which could see Peck go for a sum that’s similar to those above, or Peck remains at The Lane until at least the summer.