Opinion: Sheffield United could pull off a big coup if they secure transfer deal for European midfielder | OneFootball

With just two months to go until the end of the year, attentions are already starting to turn towards the January transfer window.

After strong start to the campaign that has seen them emerge as contenders for promotion from the Championship, it seems as though Sheffield United are no different in that respect.

The January window will of course, give the Blades a chance to consolidate the options in their squad available to Paul Heckingbottom, and put them in a position to push for a return to the Premier League.

Now it seems as though one target they could be looking to bring to Bramall Lane in order to help them do that, is AZ Alkmaar midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.

According to recent reports from Football Insider, the Yorkshire club have been scouting the 24-year-old in recent weeks, ahead of a potential move when the window reopens.

If that is a move that Sheffield United were to be successful with, then it is hard to feel as though it would not be a major coup for the Championship club.

As things stand, there are still two-and-a-half years remaining on Reijnders’ contract with Alkmaar, meaning the Dutch side are under no pressure to sell the midfielder anytime soon.

Indeed, with the 24-year-old having started all 12 of his side’s Eredivisie games this season, scoring two goals and providing three assists in that time, the midfielder is clearly a key player for them as well.

Which foreign clubs do these 18 ex-Sheffield United players now play for?

1 of 18

Ryan Flynn

Annan Athletic Dundalk Gretna St Mirren

With that in mind, you feel it will take a big offer from a club to convince Alkmaar to part company with Reijnders at the midway stage of this season.

As a result, there could be a considerable amount of financial pressure on Sheffield United if they are to make this deal happen, and that may not be the only challenge they have to overcome to do that.

It is also worth noting that as things stand, AZ Alkmaar currently sit third in the Eredivise standings, just two points adrift of league leaders Ajax.

While it may be hard for them to stay the course in a battle for the title over the whole of the season, that does mean that right now, they look well set for another return to European football in the 2023/24 campaign, potentially at a higher level than the Europa Conference League they are currently in.

That could therefore, may mean it is also difficult for Reijnders to agree to part company with Alkmaar at a point when he has the opportunity to play at such a high level with the club.

Indeed, that uncertainty about whether this is the right move to make could be further enhanced by the fact that there may be no guarantee of stepping up into the Premier League with Sheffield United, who are currently four points from an automatic promotion place, having gone six without a win prior to Saturday’s victory over struggling West Brom.

As a result of that, it could be argued that the Blades will need a fair amount of negotiation with both Alkmaar and Reijnders if this move is going to happen, but given the constant speculation around one of their own key midfielders in Sander Berge, it could yet be vital they are successful with those talks.

With all that in mind, it is hard not to feel that completing a deal to bring Reijnders to Bramall Lane from Alkmaar, would be a major coup for Sheffield United, for more than one reason.