“Unique” teenage star has already been tipped for top before Sheffield United, Leeds United transfer link
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We’re just about to turn the corner into February and as thoughts begin to shift towards Christmas, the January transfer window is beginning to loom large. It’s the signal for silly season in the rumours as clubs begin to be linked with all sorts of players, some of genuine interest and others, well... not.
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Hide AdThat was the case over the weekend when United were said to be leading the race for a £5m signing, Oliver Sørensen, that they currently can’t afford, and isn’t of interest to the potential new ownership that would need to stump up the cash to sign him. The Star understands that representatives working on United’s behalf have watched Sørensen’s side, FC Midtjylland, in action recently, but that the midfielder is not a specific target.
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A Football League World report this week subsequently linked the Blades with a teenage sensation plying his trade in Sweden, Hammarby winger Bazoumana Toure. Scouts from a host of English clubs - said to include United - watched Hammarby’s 3-0 win over Sirius at the weekend, with the 18-year-old netting twice and assisting the other.
Toure only signed for Hammarby in March and is under contract there until 2028, with a price tag of £5m previously placed on his head in the media. The likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Celtic are also reportedly keeping tabs on him, along with the Blades’ Championship rivals Leeds.
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Hide AdUnited have been badly burned by their last dalliance with the Swedish Allsvenskan, signing Benie Traore after promotion before quickly deciding that he was not up to the physicality of the English league and shipping him off, first on loan to Nantes in France and then a permanent deal to Basel in Switzerland. United only have one natural winger in their squad, in the form of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, and so it would make sense if a wideman was on boss Chris Wilder’s shortlist when the January sales open for business.
Sanctioning a £5m swoop for an 18-year-old would be some show of faith, even if his current manager does think he has a bright future. "I think he can play at the highest level possible,” Hammarby boss Kim Hellberg has previously said. “I don’t see why he shouldn’t have the chance to get there.
“There have been many players who have had the opportunity to get there but have not taken that route. He is unique in the way he learns things and picks things up. Now he scored two goals with his head, and we have worked so much on how he should get into the box and how he should position himself to create advantages linked to the fact that he is not a big player."
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