Sheffield United draft a creative transfer plan ahead of Premier League return

After holding talks with chief executive Steve Bettis this morning, Heckingbottom aimed to begin the process of deciding which of the 11 squad members whose contracts are about to expire will be either offered fresh terms or see extension clauses which were inserted into their existing agreements triggered. With owner Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud insisting he still wants to sell United despite apparently reaching an impasse in his negotiations with Nigerian entrepreneur Dozy Mmobuosi, the situation Heckingbottom faces has been further complicated by the fact Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge are about to enter their final year of their deals. Coaching staff expect both to attract interest from both home and abroad this summer meaning Heckingbottom, who wants to retain the services of both, is unable to finalise a definitive wanted list.

MORE: Crunch talks scheduled

Acknowledging he has already identified some potential targets, which include former loanees James McAtee and Tommy Doyle, the United manager said: “We are always looking but that search narrows down. The amount of money we’ve got won’t change. But the number of players we need might, whether that’s 12, 10, eight, six.”

Unless there is a dramatic chance in United’s circumstances, Heckingbottom will be expected to work within similar parameters to his predecessor Chris Wilder who also delivered promotion from the Championship. That means using the money generated by reaching the highest level of the English game to reprofile a squad, rather than relying on the patronage of a minted investor. The Star has been told that Heckingbottom, whose team finished second in the table and 11 points clear of third, agreed to hand over a portion of his budget last summer to fund improvement works at the Randox Health Academy training ground with United only exiting the transfer embargo they had been operating under since January after reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.

MORE: Buy-back clause necessary

In order to bring both Doyle and McAtee back to Bramall Lane, PL dictate that United must acquire one of the Manchester City duo on a permanent basis. That, providing the necessary resources are placed at Heckingbottom’s disposal, will be Doyle although officials at the Etihad Stadium will insist upon a ‘buy back’ option before even entering into negotiations about the midfielder’s future.

Acknowledging that United “won’t be spending” what others “in the division usually spend”, Heckingbottom made a plea for “clarity” about their financial situation soon after watching his men secure the runners-up berth. His discussions with Bettis, which were scheduled to take place following United’s 2-1 victory over Birmingham City, were designed to try and enable him to cut through some of the uncertainty which surrounds events at board level. One of Bettis’ roles is to act as a conduit between coaching staff and Prince Abdullah, who together with his associates spends most of his time abroad.

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