Huddersfield and Birmingham tussle for Sheffield Wednesday agreement ahead of League One return | OneFootball

Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town have both taken an interest in Sheffield Wednesday midfielder George Byers, according to the Sheffield Star.

The midfielder spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign at Blackpool and with their loss against Reading on the final day consigning them to another season in League One, Byers has more time to weigh up his options without having to worry about on-field matters.

One thing looks certain - and that is his departure from Hillsborough.

He was deemed surplus to requirements by Danny Rohl in January and loaned out to the third tier, making it no real surprise that The Star have reported that he will be leaving the club when his contract comes to an end this summer.

His contract situation has given the Owls the opportunity to offload him at the end of June, with the player unlikely to be required after the club secured their Championship survival on the final day of the season earlier this month.

Byers has been an excellent servant for Wednesday during his time in South Yorkshire, but he was a more valuable player in the third tier and it's clubs in those divisions that have reportedly taken an interest in him.

George Byers attracting major interest ahead of Sheffield Wednesday exit

Byers looks set for a return to the English third tier, with relegated teams Birmingham and Huddersfield both thought to be interested in the midfielder.

The other relegated team, Rotherham United, are also believed to be in the mix and all three clubs could be attractive destinations with the trio having a good chance of returning to the Championship.

His former loan club Blackpool want to retain him - and Barnsley also want to recruit the player, along with play-off finalists Bolton Wanderers and Oxford United.

The Tykes don't have a permanent manager in place at this stage though, with Martin Devaney taking caretaker charge following the sacking of Neill Collins, so an appointment will need to be made sooner rather than later to give themselves the best chance of winning the race for Byers.

Volume of interest is a real positive for George Byers

At 27, Byers is at an important stage of his career and this is why having as many offers on the table as possible will be important.

He certainly isn't short of interest and that should translate to numerous contract offers, which should increase his chances of picking an ideal destination for himself.

When picking his next club, he should be considering a few key factors.

Firstly, he will want a fairly long contract to provide him with some financial security for the medium-to-long term.

He should also be looking to head to a club where he will get plenty of game time, because he's approaching the peak years of his career and that means he should still have time to develop and improve.

Byers will also want to be playing Championship football again in the future, so picking a club that has a good chance of returning there or is already there may be high up on his priority list.