Exclusive:The staggering financial demands facing Sheffield United in transfer target pursuit after Ruben Selles admission
The financial demands facing Sheffield United in transfer target pursuit after Ruben Selles admission
Sheffield United could be asked to cover the entirety of Ben Godfrey’s significant weekly wage if they are successful in luring the Atalanta defender to Bramall Lane this summer, The Star has been told. The Blades have targeted the former Everton man as they search for central defensive reinforcements.
Ruben Selles’ side were already in need of cover in that position going into the summer, but the situation became more pressing this week when Feyenoord lured Anel Ahmedhodzic away from South Yorkshire.
The Blades rejected the Dutch giants’ first bid for the Bosnian, we understand, but caved in to United’s demands quickly in their haste to get in a centre-half for the first leg of their Champions League qualifying clash with Fenerbahçe last night.
Ahmedhodzic indeed made his debut in that game, with Robin van Persie’s men winning 2-1 thanks to Anis Hadj-Moussa’s 91st minute winner after Sofyan Amrabat looked to have rescued a draw with an equaliser five minutes earlier.
The financial demands Sheffield United may face in top transfer target pursuit after Selles admission
As we revealed earlier this week Hull City defender Charlie Hughes is a player of interest to the Blades, Ruben Selles confirming as such in his press conference ahead of this weekend’s season opener at home to Bristol City, but the Blades have been put off by the high, eight-figure valuation placed on the 21-year-old’s head.
Nils Zätterström, the young Swedish international at Malmo, is seen as a more realistic prospect and could arrive at Bramall Lane before the September 1 transfer deadline. But Godfrey is an additional target, rather than instead of.
Godfrey is understood to be on significant wages at Serie A side Atalanta, said to be upwards of £60,000 a week, and the Italians are understood to be reluctant to sanction his departure unless most of that figure, if not all, is covered by the club that signs him.
That may yet prove a worthwhile avenue for the Blades as they look to invest some of the fees they received this week for selling Ahmedhodzic and Kieffer Moore, but further highlights that loan deals - often decried as “the cheap option” by supporters - can sometimes be anything but.
Asked about United’s interest in Godfrey, Hughes and Zätterström, Selles said: “It's obvious we need to strengthen at centre-half and those are on our list, for different reasons. Ben is a well-known centre-back and full-back. He's very powerful for the level and everyone would like to have him.
“Charlie Hughes is one of the most talented young players in the league, so not only us would be linked, and Nils has already made the national team. I like to follow very closely the Scandinavian market, because of my background, and any good player is on our list. But nothing is concrete yet.”