Potential Sheffield United raid of Blackburn Rovers would be a surprise to everyone: View | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers head into the final game of the season needing a point to secure their Championship status for another campaign.

It has been a rather difficult season for the Lancashire side, but it could have been a whole lot worse without star man Sammie Szmodics.

The forward has been sensational this season, producing his best tally to date, and even though the club is still in trouble now, without him, they could have been relegated a long time ago.

So, given how well Szmodics has done this season, it will be no surprise to see teams continuing to keep an eye on the player as the summer transfer window vastly approaches.

Sheffield United are the latest team to show an interest in the player, but they may have a huge stumbling block to securing a deal.

Sheffield United join the Sammie Szmodics race

It was reported by The Sun over the weekend that Sheffield United have joined Luton Town and Brentford in the race for Blackburn Rovers star Sammie Szmodics.

As mentioned, it has been a Championship campaign to remember for the 28-year-old on a personal level, as he’s produced his best tally to date, with 25 league goals for the campaign. Overall, he has scored 31 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions.

So, his performances have naturally caught the attention of teams from the Premier League. As just mentioned, both Luton Town and Brentford have been credited with an interest in Szmodics before now, and according to this recent report, the duo remain interested in the striker.

As well as them, Fulham have also been mentioned as having an interest in the 28-year-old, along with Scottish Premiership side Celtic, but the latter may struggle to secure a deal given the finances the Premier League sides have.

However, these sides now face fresh competition, as Sheffield United have reportedly joined the race, with The Sun reporting that Blackburn are looking for between £15 and £20 million for Szmodics.

Sheffield United paying £15-£20 million for Sammie Szmodics would be a surprise to everyone

It could be said that Blackburn Rovers are being quite cheeky with their price tag for Sammie Szmodics, given the player has only had one season where he has hit these numbers, and he is 28 years old.

However, the forward is still under contract at Ewood Park, and they obviously want to keep hold of their best players, so the club has every right to set a figure they deem acceptable.

But if that is truly what Blackburn are looking for this summer, it seems highly unlikely that Sheffield United will be parting ways with that amount of money to sign a 28-year-old Championship striker.

That is because the Blades didn’t spend that amount of money in the Premier League this season, so it seems unlikely the club’s board is going to change their approach and splash the cash, given their relegation.

It is understandable why Sheffield United and Chris Wilder may be interested in Szmodics, as he’s been outstanding this season, not only in terms of his goals, but his overall play has made him a standout performer in the league.

The 28-year-old is outperforming his xG, which stands at 20.96, with him averaging 0.6 goals per game.

But the forward could have easily had more goals, as he’s averaging an impressive 3.3 shots per game, with 1.3 being on target, and he has so far missed a staggering 17 big chances. So, if he had put some of those chances away, you could be talking about Szmodics having scored 30 plus goals in the league.

As well as the goals, Szmodics has also continued to be a creative force for Blackburn, as he’s created seven big chances for his side as well as collecting 1.1 key passes, all of which has helped him grab four assists. Szmodics is heading into the final game of the season with a Sofascore statistical rating of 7.28.

So, it is quite clear why teams are looking at the forward, and it is understandable why Sheffield United would want to add a player like that to their squad, as they will want to have that marksman who can fire them to the top of the league.

But the price tag just seems too much for a team like Sheffield United, given how they have operated in the past and how they operated in the Premier League.