Pundit urges Sheffield United to sign ex-Blackburn Rovers star who "will score 20 goals" | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer believes Ben Brereton-Diaz would be the perfect start to Sheffield United's summer transfer plans.

Carlton Palmer has urged Sheffield United to re-sign Ben Brereton-Diaz this summer, but admits that a deal will be difficult to complete for Chris Wilder's side.

Brereton-Diaz has featured heavily at Championship level for most of his career, with the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest, but he eventually left on a free transfer when his contract expired last summer, signing for La Liga side Villarreal.

He struggled with the La Liga outfit, and then moved on loan to Sheffield United, where his fortunes improved, even if his new club's future always looked as though it would be in the second tier once again for the 2024/25 season.

Diaz joined a Blades side who ended the season terribly, but he was a bright spark amongst the gloom, and still managed to score six goals and register an assist in 14 league games for the club. This is a pretty remarkable return, all things considered, and he certainly will be on the radars of top-flight clubs following that sort of form.

Despite only joining in January, he was the club's joint top scorer, and there's no doubt that he would have topped that chart had he been at Bramall Lane all season. However, a return to South Yorkshire is made more difficult following their relegation back to the Championship.

Not only that, but Sheffield United are awaiting a takeover to be completed, which complicates their window currently. An American consortium is interested in completing a takeover of Sheffield United following their relegation from the Premier League, according to The Star.

Until the proposed takeover goes through at Bramall Lane, getting rid of unwanted players, or selling their better players for decent fees, is going to be their best way to get money that they can then spend on rebuilding the squad. It's expected that a majority of the club's signings in the upcoming window will come from the free agent and loan market, as opposed to splashing out on permanent deals which require transfer fees - where Brereton-Diaz would be fairly costly.

However, some reports state that the former Blackburn Rovers forward could be available for a a fee in the region of €7-10 million (£6 million-8.5 million) this summer, if the Blades want to launch a permanent move for him, according to Spanish newspaper El Periódico Mediterráneo - via the Sheffield Star.

Ex-England international Carlton Palmer has provided his verdict on the situation, and believes Brereton-Diaz should be one of their top priorities, especially if they are able to seal another loan deal for the versatile forward.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said: "Sheffield United are looking to make an immediate return to the Premier League next season, so Chris Wilder is busy with plans to bring in players.

"Unfortunately for Wilder, he can't do any business until this takeover is signed, sealed, and ratified. That's not been done, as of now, so Chris has been unable to do any business whatsoever.

"One player Sheffield United are keen to re-sign is Ben Brereton-Diaz after coming in on loan from Spain, where he was at La Liga club Villarreal - it didn't go so well for him there, so he came on loan and scored six Premier League goals in 14 appearances. "It would be great if they could loan him for next season, because we know what he can do in the Championship. At Blackburn Rovers in 2021/22, in 37 appearances he scored 22 league goals. "In 2022/23 he scored 14 league goals in 43 appearances, so we know what he is all about in the Championship. "He can score a lot of goals, he's the right age at 25, so he'll be a brilliant addition to bring into the football club. "Having said that, the noises coming from Brereton-Diaz are that he'd like to go back to Villarreal and he sees it as unfinished business.

"But Sheffield United should still try for him. He's a proven goalscorer at Championship level, and he will score 20 goals if he is given the service."

The budget that Chris Wilder will have to work with isn't a huge one, as things stand, but one player that may be worth the risk of spending some cash on is Brereton Diaz. A loan would be preferable, but is possibly less likely than a permanent deal this summer.

The Blades require attacking additions, as Cameron Archer is to return to Aston Villa as part of an obligation following United's relegation to the Championship, and the futures of Daniel Jebbison and Oli McBurnie are unclear, meaning some extra firepower is certainly needed.

Chris Wilder wants to add proven Championship players to his Blades squad during the upcoming summer transfer window, to ensure there is enough experience in a dressing room that will include promising youngsters such as Ollie Arblaster, Andre Brooks, and Will Osula.

He fits the profile of player that Wilder wants to bring to the club, having played 213 games in the second tier over the course of his career. With 53 goals and 21 assists in the Championship, Brereton Diaz would be an excellent addition to Sheffield United's squad.