Keiren Westwood, Liam Palmer and Kieran Lee are staying with Sheffield Wednesday

The trio were offered new deals at the end of the 2018/19 campaign and have agreed to extend their Hillsborough stays.

The Star understands goalkeeper Westwood and defender Palmer have signed new two-year contracts and Lee will remain with the Owls for a further 12 months. There could be an official announcement on their futures next week.

Republic of Ireland international Westwood, who was the subject of interest from Yorkshire neighbours Huddersfield Town, has played over 160 matches since moving to Hillsborough on a free transfer in July 2014. 

He was a key figure in the Wednesday team that qualified for back-to-back play-offs under Carlos Carvalhal's stewardship.

But the 34-year-old was frozen out in the first half of last season by Jos Luhukay, with the Dutchman handing the No 1 jersey to academy graduate Cameron Dawson.

Westwood returned to the starting line-up following Luhukay's departure and produced a string of fine performances to help the Owls climb away from the bottom half of the table. He racked up 11 clean sheets in 20 outings as Wednesday finished in 12th position.

Palmer, meanwhile, has been a revelation this year. His consistent displays and versatility caught Owls manager Steve Bruce's eye and also the Scotland national team, who handed him a senior debut in March.

Palmer, 27, is the club's longest-serving player, having appeared 225 times since coming through the ranks at Wednesday. As for Lee, injuries have blighted his career over the last 18 months.

But the midfielder made his long-awaited return to action in the penultimate fixture of last term, coming on as a late substitute in the draw at Preston North End. He followed that up by starting and playing over an hour of the Owls' final-day defeat to Queens Park Rangers.

Lee, who has only featured on 17 occasions in the last two seasons, will be battling it out with Barry Bannan, Sam Hutchinson and Joey Pelupessy for a starting berth next term.