Sheffield United transfer budget has been set as recruitment plan becomes clearer
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The Star can confirm that Bramall Lane’s board of directors have initially set aside just under 15 percent of the initial £135m last term’s promotion from the Championship will pump into Bramall Lane’s coffers available for new players.
Although this figure could change if the club is taken over, either by investors from the US or Nigerian entrepreneur Dozy Mmobuosi, the decision which is understood to have been relayed to Heckingbottom ahead of last week’s meeting with United’s hierarchy in Geneva, Switzerland, means the 45-year-old is only expected to add only one or two permanent additions to his squad when the window reopens shortly. The rest of his reprofiling exercise is then expected to revolve around temporary acquisitions, such as the ones which delivered Manchester City duo Tommy Doyle and James McAtee to South Yorkshire, and individuals whose contracts are about to expire. This has led to suggestions that Rangers’ Ryan Kent, who is about to leave Ibrox, could be invited to discuss a move to United.
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The first indication that Heckingbottom would not be handed a lavish sum to overhaul the options at his disposal came when he informed owner Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and United’s board of directors that he wanted to keep all of the 11 players whose deals are set to run out next month. Although it remains unclear if this will be possible, some of those whose futures were supposedly in doubt are known to have triggered appearance based extensions towards the end of a campaign which saw United finish second in the table behind leaders Burnley. They have also been linked with Kent, who represented Liverpool, Barnsley and play-off finalists Coventry City before moving to Scotland.
Mmobuosi, whose bid for United had apparently floundered before it emerged a consortium from California were considering making an approach for Prince Abdullah’s shareholding, has repeatedly stressed he remains determined to reach an agreement with the Saudi Arabian.