Sheffield United, West Brom & Stoke City in transfer tug of war for Leicester City man | OneFootball

The Championship trio are all pursuing Leicester City's Tom Cannon, according to a recent reveal

Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City have formed a three-way transfer race for Leicester City frontman Tom Cannon ahead of a potential loan exit this summer.

As claimed in a recent reveal from The Sun's Alan Nixon via Patreon, the second-tier trio are all keen to make advances for Cannon, who has struggled to force his way into the Foxes first-team foray after joining from Everton the previous summer.

The 21-year-old made only 12 Championship appearances under Enzo Maresca last term as Leicester romped to the league title, although an average of 0.43 goals per 90 minutes provided a timely reminder of his promise despite limited action.

Cannon found himself behind Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy in the pecking order last term, and whilst Maresca has since departed for Chelsea, the acquisition of versatile attacker Bobby Decordova-Reid from Fulham could well maintain a complicated situation following Steve Cooper's arrival at the helm.

Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City in Tom Cannon transfer tug of war

Nixon has claimed that ex-Swansea City boss Cooper is yet to provide an ultimatum on Cannon's immediate future, although the impending decision could well have the trio of second-tier suitors on red alert.

The Everton academy product is reportedly admired by Chris Wilder, who remains in the market for additional striking options following the free transfer departure of Oli McBurnie to LaLiga outfit Las Palmas despite having snapped up Bournemouth's Kieffer Moore.

There is also interest from the Baggies, with Carlos Corberan evidently intent on bolstering his attacking options after making three defensive-minded signings to date in Torbjorn Heggem, Ousmane Diakite and Paddy McNair, alongside the signing of goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith from newly-promoted Championship side Derby County.

Meanwhile, the report adds that Stoke may eventually lead the running for Cannon's signature if they can offer to pay the bulk of his current salary at the King Power Stadium although any advances from the Potteries will undoubtedly hinge upon their ongoing pursuit of Blackburn Rovers' Sam Gallagher.

According to a separate update from Nixon, Blackburn have set a £1.5 million asking price for Gallagher after reportedly rejecting two bids from Stoke, one of which is believed to be in the region of £800,000.

West Bromwich Albion may provide the best option for Leicester City striker Tom Cannon

Leicester will want to send Cannon to a side with designs on competing for promotion while deploying a brand of football which befits the striker's development.

Of the interested parties, the Blades perhaps appear best-placed for promotion contention at present having only recently been relegated from the Premier League before making a series of eye-catching moves for Callum O'Hare, Moore and Peterborough United skipper Harrison Burrows - who would certainly carve out a host of chances for Cannon to capitalise on after assisting seventeen goals across all competitions last term.

There is certainly a compelling argument for Cannon to contemplate a Bramall Lane switch in the coming weeks, but the acquisition of seasoned veteran Moore, who has previously achieved promotion from the division with Bournemouth and boasts international credentials and a 20-goal season with Cardiff City in 2020/21, could significantly challenge his pursuit of regular minutes at a career juncture which requires frequent first-team football after scarcely featuring in the East Midlands last time out.

Wilder has also deployed a sole striker during United's pre-season outings, indicating a potential tactical blueprint ahead of the upcoming season.

On the other hand, a consistent starting berth would likely be much more attainable at Stoke but whether Cannon would receive sufficient creative service is another matter, which, as a striker who requires the ball to feet and frequently looks to take up shooting positions extremely close to goal, could be counterproductive to his development.

However, West Brom often dominate the ball under Corberan's tuition and ranked eighth for big chances created last season - five places above Stoke - and will intend on upping their invention further next year to realise their ambitions of returning to the Premier League.

Cannon would also face weaker competition for places at the Hawthorns as Brandon Thomas-Asante could move on this summer amid reported interest from Southampton, while you'd probably fancy him to usurp both Josh Maja and Daryl Dike - who is injured for the remainder of the year - in the pecking order if he can replicate the form he showcased on loan with Preston North End in 2022/23.