Sheffield Wednesday: Neymar developments could increase Josh Windass, Santos fears | OneFootball

News of Brazil star Neymar's imminent return to Santos could have an impact on Josh Windass' future at Sheffield Wednesday.

It has been an excellent campaign so far for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, but the final weeks of the January transfer window could potentially define their season.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Wednesday have emerged as surprise promotion contenders this time around, and they currently sit 11th in the table, just four points from the play-off places.

However, while the Owls have made significant progress on the pitch this season, there have been problems behind the scenes at Hillsborough in recent weeks after a breakdown in communication between manager Danny Rohl and owner Dejphon Chansiri.

At an explosive fan forum last week, Chansiri revealed that he has not spoken to Rohl since December, and he insisted he would not initiate a conversation with the manager, urging the German to approach him if he wants to sign new players this month.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Rohl and Chansiri have now held a meeting and resolved their dispute, with funds set to be made available for signings before the closure of the window, but while much of Wednesday's focus over the coming weeks will be on incomings, they may also be concerned about the possible departures of some of their key players, including forward Josh Windass.

Josh Windass attracting Santos transfer interest

Windass joined Wednesday from Wigan Athletic in 2020, and he has come up with a number of crucial goals for the club over the years, most notably his 123rd-minute winner in the League One play-off final against Barnsley in 2023 that sealed promotion.

It looked as though Windass' time at Hillsborough was set to come to an end in the summer after talks over a new contract stalled, but following a late intervention from Rohl, he did eventually commit his future to the Owls.

Windass has been in outstanding form for Wednesday this season, scoring 10 goals and providing three assists in 29 appearances, but speculation over his future emerged once again earlier this month after Brazilian side Santos made a surprise bid for the 31-year-old.

As FLW exclusively revealed, that offer was rejected by the Owls, who have no interest in selling Windass, but according to The Star, while it is unlikely Santos will meet the forward's valuation, they "remain interested in a deal and have remained in contact" with the South Yorkshire outfit.

Wednesday have already lost one of their stars this month after midfielder Shea Charles was recalled from his loan spell by parent club Southampton, so they will be incredibly reluctant to sanction Windass' exit, but recent developments at Santos could potentially have an impact on the situation.

Neymar's imminent Santos return will be concerning for Sheffield Wednesday

If the chance to reunite with his former Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha was not tempting enough for Windass, a move to Santos could soon become an even more attractive proposition for Wednesday's top scorer.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Santos have submitted a formal loan proposal to Al-Hilal for Neymar as they look to bring the Brazilian superstar back to the club where he started his career, and they are believed to be "way ahead" of MLS side Chicago Fire in the race to land his signature.

Neymar is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest players, and he has scored a remarkable 204 goals and provided 129 assists in 341 games during his club career and won 28 trophies across his spells with Santos, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal.

The 32-year-old joined Al-Hilal last summer for a fee of £78 million, but it has been a frustrating spell for him in the Saudi Pro League, and manager Jorge Jesus claimed last week that "he can no longer play at the level we're used to".

It may be true that Neymar is now a declining force as he enters the latter stages of his career, but if he does return to Santos, Windass may view the opportunity to share a dressing room with a player of his status as too good to turn down, and he could decide to push for a move away from Hillsborough.