Sheffield Wednesday in talks to sign free agent midfielder | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday are considering whether to offer a contract to trialist midfielder Mohamed Konate.

Sheffield Wednesday are reportedly weighing up whether to offer a contract to free agent midfielder Mohamed Konate.

That's according to The Star, who claim that Wednesday are currently holding discussions about signing Konate after his trial period at the club during pre-season.

Konate is currently a free agent after departing Portuguese side Covilha earlier this summer following a short spell at the club, during which he played an important role in helping his side narrowly avoid relegation from the third division.

After paying the wages of players and staff for May and June and settling money owed to HMRC, the Owls have had two of their three transfer embargoes lifted, but they remain under one for outstanding payments due to other clubs, while they have also been hit with a three-window ban on paying transfer fees, but that would not be an issue in the case of Konate.

Wednesday are one of only three Championship clubs who are yet to make a signing this summer, along with Middlesbrough and Leicester City, but that could be set to change as they decide whether to make a contract offer to Konate.

Sheffield Wednesday in talks over potential Mohamed Konate deal

Konate may only have made 10 appearances for Covilha last season, and in addition to scoring two goals during that time, he also received two red cards, but his performances in the Portuguese third tier appear to have caught the eye of Wednesday.

The 20-year-old has spent the last few weeks on trial with the Owls after his departure from Covilha, and after travelling with the squad for their training camp at St George's Park earlier this month, he was part of the youthful side that lost 3-1 to Stocksbridge Park Steels on Friday.

It seems Konate has impressed during his trial period with Wednesday, with The Star revealing that conversations are now being held about whether to sign the midfielder, but he would take up one of their Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) spots, and it remains to be seen how that would affect any potential deal.

The Owls have lost four of their key players in recent weeks, with Anthony Musaba joining Turkish side Samsunspor for a fee of £800,000 and fellow winger Djeidi Gassama completing a £2.2 million move to Rangers, while forwards Josh Windass and Michael Smith departed Hillsborough last week after their contracts were terminated by mutual consent.

Those exits have left Wednesday with an incredibly thin squad ahead of the new season, which gets underway in less than three weeks' time, so the addition of Konate would be a welcome boost, but with fresh uncertainty over the future of manager Danny Rohl following the collapse of the club's proposed takeover, it is unclear exactly who will be making the decision on whether to give him a contract.

After a turbulent summer that has seen them lose many of their key players, Wednesday look incredibly underprepared for the start of the new season.

With last season's Player of the Year, Shea Charles, returning to parent club Southampton and captain Barry Bannan yet to sign a new contract, the Owls are in need of extra central midfield options, so Konate would help to bolster their numbers in that area of the team.

Given that Konate was plying his trade in the Portuguese third tier last season, Wednesday supporters may understandably have reservations about whether he can make the step up to the Championship, but with their off-field problems under owner Dejphon Chansiri showing no sign of easing, it will be difficult for them to attract players of a higher quality this summer.