Sheffield Wednesday contract saga shelved as AC Milan-linked former Manchester City youngster approaches end of deal

The 22-year-old former Manchester City midfielder has tumbled out of the reckoning for a starting spot in recent weeks, starting only one league game since December 10.

But he showed his undoubted talent in a firecracker moment from the bench in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Morecambe on Tuesday evening, bursting through the Shrimps’ defence to lay on an assist for the match-crowning third goal and in doing so earning a first goal involvement since October.

With his three-year contract set to come to an end in the summer, Dele-Bashiru is the subject of a long-standing back-and-forth over his future, with clubs across Europe including AC Milan, PSV and Besiktas understood to have shown an interest in taking him on free transfer terms.

Asked whether contract talks were still ongoing to keep Dele-Bashiru at S6, Owls boss Darren Moore said they had been shelved – for now at least – having previously expressed concerns over a lack of focus in the youngster’s mind amid speculation over his future.

“We will keep it that way as long as he keeps his mindset and keeps focused on what we’re doing,” he told The Star.

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Moore has been far happier with contributions from Dele-Bashiru over the last week or so and has always maintained he has a big role to play in the season run-in.

The Star reported in January that the youngster had made clear his desire to stay at S6 for the rest of the season at least.

“I thought at Ipswich when he came on, he played a pivotal part in stemming the flow,” Moore said. “And then tonight [against Morecambe] he’s come on at half-time and showcased what he’s about.

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“His game is like that, he has got the ability to open up the door. I’m really pleased he showed another contribution.

“His head is in the right place and as I said, I feel this is the right club for him in terms of where his career is at and hopefully he can keep building.

“We sometimes forget that he’s only a young boy and there is still so much for him to learn and develop, but again we’ve seen the the cutting edge he can give us from midfield.”