Sheffield Wednesday interested in 51-cap Scotland international midfielder | OneFootball

Stuart Armstrong is of interest to Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday have joined Burnley in the race for Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Stuart Armstrong.

This is according to transfer journalist Alan Nixon, who has linked the former Southampton man with a potential move to Hillsborough, despite being a Designated Player over in Canada.

The 32-year-old left St Mary's following the expiry of his contract last summer, but was a brilliant servant for them across a six-year spell. Joining the South Coast club in 2018, he scored 25 goals and provided 19 assists in 214 games, with 149 of those fixtures coming in the Premier League.

A fully-fledged Scottish international, Wednesday would be well-placed to sign Armstrong, who would prove a valuable addition to Danny Rohl's squad as they look to steal a play-off place come May.

Sheffield Wednesday targeting Stuart Armstrong deal despite being under contract to Vancouver Whitecaps

As detailed in the aforementioned report, the Owls are keen on signing Armstrong, who made the move to Vancouver in September.

According to Nixon, Rohl's side wanted him during the summer but missed out as he chose to go to Canada. Six months on, they have rekindled their interest and are hoping that Armstrong has desires of a return to English football as he looks to add a second Championship promotion to his trophy cabinet.

This deal won't come without a fight though, as Scott Parker's Burnley are also keen on the individual, as Nixon reported last week.

The Clarets have a much stronger league position, sitting in third place ahead of a huge Monday night clash against table-toppers Leeds United.

Therefore, securing Armstrong's signature won't be straightforward if Burnley's interest is serious, as Wednesday may need to provide guarantees of regular playing time to outmanoeuvre Parker's side in the race for his services.

Time will tell, but with the Scotsman delivering 12 goal contributions in the second tier last season, he would undoubtedly be a valuable asset to bolster Rohl's blue and white ranks.

Potential fitness concerns over Stuart Armstrong for Sheffield Wednesday

The one concern that Wednesday's transfer chiefs may have is how long Armstrong will take to get up to speed.

The 32-year-old has not played any competitive football since November, with the MLS season concluding that month.

While they have just kick-started pre-season, Armstrong's fitness will still be way under the match-ready levels presently displayed by Wednesday players.

This is something they will have to take into consideration and if he takes a month to get up to speed, his ability to impact the season is severely depleted.