Swansea City & Hull City face stumbling block in Oli McBurnie chase as Spanish club keen on transfer | OneFootball

Oli McBurnie has been heavily linked with a return to the Championship, but Spanish club Celta Vigo want him to stay another year in Spain.

Swansea City and Hull City may face a significant stumbling block in their attempts to bring Oli McBurnie back to the Championship after the striker's successful year in Spain, with Celta Vigo keen on keeping him in La Liga.

The former Sheffield United striker has been linked with a return to the Championship, but there are now reports of an offer from Spain which may tempt McBurnie to stay rather than returning to this country.

McBurnie joined Las Palmas in July 2024 following the expiry of his contract with Sheffield United. He made 34 appearances for them in La Liga, scoring three goals, but this wasn't enough to prevent them from relegation, after they finished 19th in the table.

Celta Vigo are interested in keeping Oli McBurnie in Spain

Journalist Alan Nixon has reported that McBurnie could yet be set to stay in Spain, following interest in him from La Liga club Celta Vigo.

It is claimed that with Celta in the UEFA Europa League for next season, they need extra depth up-front, and Scotland international McBurnie made enough of an impression to be a live target for the Galician outfit.

This provides a potentially massive stumbling block for Championship clubs who had been alerted to McBurnie's availability by Las Palmas' relegation at the end of the 2024-25 season, with a clause in his contract enabling him to depart for no transfer fee.

Hull City, as well as former club Swansea City have been linked with McBurnie in recent weeks, and he's now set for a big decision on his future.

Celta Vigo can make Oli McBurnie an attractive offer - it may put Hull & Swansea out of the race

Celta Vigo finished in seventh place in La Liga at the end of the 2024/25 season, and this was enough to qualify them for the group stages of next year's Europa League.

The expanded schedule of the group stages of UEFA competitions, which were increased from six to eight matches from the start of the 2024/25 season, means that clubs entered into the competition need greater reinforcement if they're to maintain a focus on their domestic leagues and European competition at the same time.

McBurnie has been identified by Celta Vigo on account of his performance in Spain last season, despite his club's relegation - nine goal contributions in that time was a respectable effort from him.

McBurnie has a wealth of exactly the sort of experience that Championship clubs chasing a Premier League place would want. His last full season in the division saw him score 13 goals in 38 games as Sheffield United won promotion back to the Premier League.

But the possibility of not only staying in one of Europe's 'big five' leagues, but also having the opportunity to play Europa League football, may well prove to be enough to persuade him to stay in Spain an extra year.