Sheffield United and Burnley told how much they need to pay to sign Frenchman | OneFootball

Sheffield United have been linked to signing defender Étienne Kinkoué, with a price tag set by Le Havre.

Sheffield United are been linked to signing defender Étienne Kinkoué, with a price tag set by Le Havre.

The Blades missed out on promotion back into the Premier League despite accumulating 90 points across the Sky Bet Championship campaign, losing to Sunderland in the play-off final.

The Wembley Stadium defeat was Chris Wilder's last in charge of his boyhood club, with former Hull City, Reading, and Southampton boss Ruben Selles now taking over at Bramall Lane.

Sheffield United linked to French U21s international

Kinkoué has been linked to the Blades, newly promoted top-flight side Burnley, and German outfit FC Koln, by renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano in a post on his X account.

The three clubs have shown "concrete interest", while Ligue 1 outfit Le Havre setting a price-tag of €5m for the 23-year-old.

The former France under-21s international is said to be keen for a move that would take him to the next stage of his career, while his club are needing to sell players and secure profits.

The once-capped youth international played 28 times in Ligue 1 last season, and has 57 appearances at centre-back in total for Le Havre.

He enjoyed time at Greece giants Olympiakos and in the youth set-up of Inter Milan before making the move to France during the 2022/23 season.

The Blades aiming for another tilt at Premier League promotion

Selles has been brought into the Blades with a fresh emphasis placed on AI and data in the club's recruitment process. That has perhaps allowed the club to cast their net further and wider in their search for the marginal gains that could bring about promotion into the top tier.

Brazilian midfielder Vini Souza is set to depart Bramall Lane for German side Wolfsburg, for a fee reported to be £13m. That would open up more funds for United, as they look to go one better than the third-place finish they managed last season.

The Lyon-born Kinkoué would bulk up the Blades defence, having played less than a handful of games in the defensive midfield position and away from his centre-back status over the course of his career to date.

It will surely be a difficult task for United to win the three-way race for Kinkoué's services, with a Premier League club also circling for the Frenchman.

They have also been linked to Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Ashley Phillips, with a keen focus placed on strengthening that area of the pitch.

Thomas Frank's appointment in North London may have squashed the possibility of that move, because the former Brentford boss has been reported as wanting to include the youngster in his plans instead of allowing him to exit.