The deal Sheffield Wednesday and Co. may have to strike if they pursue interest in Sheffield United international starlet

Ayari, the Tunisian youth international, recently made the short switch across the Steel City to trial for the Owls after expressing a desire, following conversations with Blades academy boss Derek Geary, to leave Bramall Lane. A loan spell at non-league side Scarborough Athletic was recently cut short, with Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom telling The Star that the teenager is not in his plans and is free to leave.

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But with Ayari still under contract, and Heckingbottom admitting he initially didn’t want Ayari to depart following his conversation with former Blades defender Geary, United are expected to seek a fee for such a highly-regarded talent – and, at the very least, will look to insert a significant sell-on clause into any deal that may be struck.

"It's up to us what we do,” Heckingbottom said. "Keeping them in my reserves or U21s is not increasing their value and someone else can do that for you. So that's how you run the business side of it and the more players we have playing in the league especially, who have come through our academy, the better it is for us.

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"If you're one of our players and you want to go, there's a conversation to be had and negotiations to be had. But that's up to someone else to negotiate and see."

Ayari was one of the better players in the Owls’ U21 side as they lost to Peterborough United on his ‘trial’ debut, and he may get another chance to impress when the young Owls face Crewe next week.

"I don't know how it came about in terms of Wednesday, but Hassan had conversations with Del [Geary, United’s academy manager] across the summer,” Heckingbottom added. “Himself, his family and his representative about wanting to leave.

"We didn't want him to go, we wanted him to play here and be pushed. He had an experience away at Scarborough on loan and I think that was an eye-opener in terms of the levels.”

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