Sheffield Wednesday youngster Alex Hunt set to leave club – permanent deal discussed

The diminutive 22-year-old midfielder looks set for a deadline day move to League Two side Grimsby Town, where he spent the first half of last season on loan, scoring once in 18 appearances as they set sail on a campaign that ended in promotion from the National League.

He subsequently spent the latter months of the season on loan at Oldham Athletic and had a mixed time of it as the Lancashire side were relegated from the Football League.

And it now seems likely Hunt’s immediate future lies away from the club he has been with since he was a child, with a move back to Blundell Park close to completion.

Grimsby boss Paul Hurst said this week that he believed Hunt wanted to make the move, but that the Mariners were keen only on a permanent switch after Darren Moore had spoken about the fact Hunt and Ryan Galvin had been made available for loan.

“We’ve been in for Alex for a long time, and now it looks like it’s not happening,” Hurst said. “Nothing against Darren, but I'm not sure where he was going with his comments.

“We were still there and interested, so it is basically in Sheffield Wednesday’s hands and not ours as to whether he joins us. I think Darren would allow the player to leave, but there is no interest in a loan from our side.

Hunt made his Owls debut back in August 2018 under Jos Luhukay, the first of 17 senior appearances for the Hillsborough club.

The Star understands that Hunt was on the radar of a handful of clubs including Bradford City, but that the confirmation of other signings meant the Bantams – against whom Hunt made what could become his final Owls appearance on Tuesday night – never made a firm approach for the youngster.

The Star has reason to believed Hunt will sign a three-year contract with the Mariners.