Sheffield United hold off Leeds United hijack to strike £3m deal for Preston and Birmingham City target | OneFootball

The Blades look to have got their hands on a promising young defender

Sheffield United are said to be set to sign Peterborough United's promising young left-back Harrison Burrows with a £3 million deal agreed – holding off a reported Leeds United hijack as well as beating the likes of Birmingham City and Preston North End to the player.

The deal was reported by journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon page, where he revealed the relegated side had beaten off competition from elsewhere in their new division.

Burrows had been a longstanding target for Preston, with Birmingham City, Portsmouth and Leeds United also thought to be interested at various points.

Indeed, recent reports suggested the Whites were trying to hijack the Blades' deal for the defender and made late contact.

But it is United that appear to have won the race, adding to a promising transfer window so far.

Burrows set for Bramall Lane

Nixon confirmed that Burrows is set to become a United player, with the club's offer of up to £ 3million thought to have gone beyond what Preston were willing to offer.

With the Blades' ongoing takeover making their immediate financial picture unclear, the sale of Jayden Bogle to Leeds was thought to be key in the closing of the deal. Nixon reported elsewhere that the Bogle offer was close to £7 million, including add-ons, before it was officially agreed. The final figure remains undisclosed, but it is thought that this deal made space for United to seal the Burrows move.

There was late movement from the Whites themselves on Burrows, with TBR Football reporting that they had registered an interest in the Peterborough star, but Nixon's latest report, and the fact they've just splashed a significant amount on Bogle, suggests they have been fended off by their fellow Yorkshire side.

Having beat off interest from multiple sides, the Blades will be delighted with their capture of the 22-year-old, a bright young talent in a position that needed attention.

Following the release of Max Lowe, who crossed the city divide to join rivals Sheffield Wednesday, reinforcements at left-back were required.

For Wilder, who mostly favours playing wing-backs, Burrows looks the ideal man for the job on the left side.

Though not necessarily the role he has played at the Weston Homes Stadium, being a wing-back is as much about how you can contribute to the team in an attacking sense as well as going the other way.

In terms of creativity, Burrows arrives with an incredible record. In League One last season, he managed six goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances, whilst also captaining the side in the latter half of the season.

It was clear he was ready to step back into the Championship and when the Posh fell at the final hurdle, the Blades were more than happy to provide that path to progression.

United are having a promising summer so far

Burrows will just be the latest in the line of a number of exciting acquisitions made by the Blades this summer.

He will join fellow new faces Callum O'Hare, Kieffer Moore, Jamie Shackleton, and Sam McCallum, all but Burrows and Moore arriving as free transfers.

Despite a soul-destroying season last term, which saw them earn a place among the worst-performing Premier League sides ever, they seem to have managed to recover relatively quickly and can still present themselves as an exciting home for young, promising talents.

It remains to be seen if Wilder can knit them all together quickly enough to turn them into a solid team rather than a collection of promising individuals, but they are giving themselves a good chance despite disruptive takeover business continuing through a large chunk of the summer.