Sheffield United backed to finalise Norwich City transfer - It could affect Gus Hamer | OneFootball

Sainz is expected to be a wanted man this summer with the Blades one of the first to be interested, but a Hamer conundrum is present for Chris Wilder

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sheffield United, despite not knowing what division they will be in for the 2025-26 season, are already reportedly looking at transfer targets for the upcoming summer - including a potential raid of a current Championship rival.

The Blades are currently at the summit of the second tier, and with new owners COH Sports arriving prior to the January transfer window, they have already proved they will splash the cash with the arrival of Tom Cannon at the start of 2025, paying Leicester City a reported £10 million for the Republic of Ireland international's services.

And they are already eyeing up one of the Championship's best players this season, with Norwich City winger Borja Sainz being eyed ahead of the transfer window opening up in a couple of months.

Sheffield United pursuit of Borja Sainz predicted to be a difficult one to pull off - Gus Hamer situation also noted

As reported over the weekend by journalist Alan Nixon, Sheffield United have Spanish forward Sainz as one of their top transfer targets - and it doesn't matter what division they are in.

From his 34 appearances this season, Sainz has netted 17 times for the Norfolk outfit in the Championship, with 15 of those coming in the first 18 of his outings for 2024-25.

Norwich are still outsiders in the play-off chase with nine matches to go, so in turn it is unlikely that they will be heading to the Premier League, and a knock-on effect from that will likely be not only Josh Sargent leaving, but Sainz too.

And FLW's Blades fan pundit Jimmy - of The Blades Ramble YouTube channel - believes that whilst Sainz should be a top target for United going forward, it may be tough to land his services, given there is likely to be bigger clubs with more finances behind them that will be looking as well.

And with Sainz playing in a position that star United man Gus Hamer has made his own, it could mean alterations are needed to be made by Chris Wilder.

"Borja Sainz - very good player," Jimmy told FLW.

"I think at the moment it's a really interesting link, because if we see him as a player that can also play on the right, I think that's an area that we're lacking in. The left-wing - Gus Hamer has been a revelation for us. He doesn't really play as a winger, he plays as an inside 10, but his output from that position has been phenomenal.

"So, I don't think we're actively looking to strengthen on the left-hand side, which is interesting because it's predominantly where Sainz has been playing.

"It could mean moving Gus inside further long-term, or it could mean playing Sainz on the right-hand side potentially and coming inside.

"It's an interesting link all the same, we're always pleased to be linked with quality players. He's clearly not been tested in the Premier League, so that would be of interest if we were to be promoted, because I understand it's probably Premier League dependent.

"I'd definitely be interested in signing him, I think there will be other clubs in the mix as well if I'm honest, so whether Sheffield United are willing to stretch to the level that it would take to get him over other clubs remains to be seen."

Borja Sainz is a talent but Sheffield United must have Premier League concerns over winger

New Sheffield United owner Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy have put their money where their mouth is in terms of their January business, and there's every chance that the additions of the likes of Hamza Choudhury and Ben Brereton Diaz will get the Blades over the line.

Should they go up, then they'll need to spend a whole lot more - on transfer fees and wages - to make sure their squad is capable of staying up in 2025-26 and then kicking on in the years to come, and Sainz is one of the players that you'd pin-point from the Championship that is most likely to have the ability to play top flight football.

Yet, we saw a top Championship winger in Jack Clarke make the move to Ipswich Town from Sunderland last summer, and things haven't exactly panned out for him at Portman Road, so there will likely be similar concerns over Sainz and whether he can step up, having only scored twice in 40 La Liga games earlier in his career for Alaves.

As Jimmy notes as well, Hamer has been electric in the position that Sainz excels in, so if he were to arrive at Bramall Lane it would require a Chris Wilder re-shuffle, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility - it's just a case of whether the other competition is stronger than Sheffield United in the pursuit.