Sheffield United target Rhian Brewster is told Bramall Lane should be his next destination

Although he must also draft-in a replacement for injured defender Jack O’Connell, Brewster is Wilder’s number one target during the closing stages of this summer’s transfer window after watching his players fail to score in their last three outings.

And The Star has discovered that those close to the 20-year-old believe South Yorkshire, not London, would provide the best environment for him to flourish after it was claimed Crystal Palace considering a bid as Roy Hodgson also looks to increase the firepower at his disposal.

However, Palace chairman Steve Parish has described claims by one of the PL’s rights-holders that he has sanctioned a £19m offer as a “total fabrication”. Aston Villa have also been linked with the former Chelsea trainee, despite spending a combined total of nearly £45m on Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traore – previously of Brentford and Lyon respectively.

Despite appearing to hit a stumbling block towards the end of last week, United are continuing negotiations with Liverpool aimed at securing Brewster’s release after Wilder issued a thinly disguised plea for a deal to be pushed through following Sunday’s narrow defeat by Leeds. According to reports in the North-West, United have now been granted permission to discuss personal terms with the England under-21 international, who netted 11 times in 22 outings during a spell on loan with Swansea City last term. However, it remains unclear if a fee - Liverpool were initially understood to be demanding around £20m for Brewster - has been agreed or if United are merely closer to matching the reigning champions’ demands.

With Jurgen Klopp, Wilder’s counterpart at Liverpool, describing the youngster as an exceptional talent, Anfield’s hierarchy want to insert a buy back clause into any potential deal. United are thought to be willing to grant that request in an attempt to capture Brewster, who hails from Chadwell Heath, near Dagenham.

An important message: Thank you for reading this article, one of dozens we publish every single day to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative coverage of YOUR club. This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to from the football team at The Star, please consider taking out a subscription to our new discounted sports-only package. You'll find all the details at https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions/sports.

Your support is much appreciated.

Chris Holt, Football Editor