Exclusive:Sheffield Wednesday interested in Ipswich Town 10-cap international - rivals abroad
Sheffield Wednesday’s busy summer is in full motion.
The squad rebuild at Sheffield Wednesday is in motion after the signing of Ricardo Santos was announced last week - and things are moving forward elsewhere as they look to strengthen all areas in what looks set to be a manic summer of activity.
The Owls could need as many as 20 new faces before the window closes on September 1. Man mountain defender Santos was announced as the first signing of the Arise ownership and is set to report to Middlewood Road for pre-season testing alongside his new teammates this week.
A host of players are now being linked with Wednesday and one name The Star understands to be on the shortlist is Ipswich Town man Wes Burns. The 31-year-old Wales international is no stranger to Owls supporters given the two clubs’ battles over recent seasons and is one of a number of potential targets as his contract moves towards its conclusion at the end of the month.
Ipswich entered into talks with Burns over his future as the club heads towards the Premier League following promotion last season, but sources suggest a number of clubs have raised strong interest in taking him on. Wednesday are one of those clubs, though they are believed to have heavy competition from clubs in the Championship as well as in the MLS.
A right-sided midfielder who can play anywhere down the flank, 10-cap international Burns rose through the EFL having started out at Bristol City. Though he has played more recently in the Championship and the Premier League, he has an impressive record at third tier level, scoring 43 goals and providing 34 assists across his 260 League One appearances - mainly with Ipswich and Fleetwood Town.
The likelihood of Burns’ signing to Wednesday is not yet known. A host of players are of interest to the Owls, with progress being made behind the scenes on rebuilding the squad.
Speaking to BBC Sheffield last week, Owls chairman David Storch said: “We’re signing players pretty much every day now. This is important, the other day when we were taking a look at the squad and its composition, we were meeting with Henrik and we were talking about the first day of training being June 29. That’s only 10 days away and at the moment we’ve only got six players under contract.
“I think they might need more than a three versus three scrimmage. So obviously we need some more players and we need them fairly quickly, but we’re not going to rush. Everything I’ve done has been done over time. We’re trying to build greatness over time, we’re trying to instil excellence right from the start.
“But there’s a road in front of us and we’re travelling that road today. Yes, we need to fill out the squad and Simon, under David’s (Bruce, CEO) leadership is doing a really great job.”