Sunderland star must take clear stance on potential Sheffield United move: View | OneFootball

The Blades are preparing for life in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League, with United going down with a whimper.

Unfortunately, they haven't been good enough during the 2023/24 campaign and supporters will just be happy that they have a good chance of seeing their team win more games next season.

They may be starting on -2 points next season, but if they can retain a decent chunk of their squad, the potential is there for them to push for promotion.

It seems as though Chris Wilder's side are keen on strengthening their goalkeeping department ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with the likes of Patterson and Rotherham United stopper Viktor Johansson reported to be of interest.

Patterson looks to be at the top of their priority list though, with United prepared to fork out around £8m to try and secure the young keeper's signature.

The Black Cats are keen to secure double that for their number one, but they could potentially cash in on the player, so this is a potential saga to keep an eye on.

Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers are also in the race for him, but United could swoop in quickly.

Sunderland are in a strong negotiating position with Anthony Patterson

The Black Cats may not have won promotion, and fell well short of the top six in the end, but a few key factors have placed them in a strong negotiating position with Patterson.

Firstly, the keeper is only 24, has been winning plenty of game time in recent seasons and still has four years left on his contract at the Stadium of Light.

These factors combined make him an extremely valuable player - and key financial factors could also play into the club's favour.

The Black Cats haven't spent wildly in recent years either and sold Ross Stewart last summer.

This summer could see another couple of key players depart, with Jack Clarke likely to be the subject of interest from plenty of teams following a spectacular couple of seasons and Pierre Ekwah also catching the eye of Premier League teams.

Anthony Patterson should reject Sheffield United move

Many people would view a move to Bramall Lane for Patterson as a step up, with the Blades competing in the top flight during the 2023/24 season.

Even with United forced to start the season on -2 points, they could be at the top end of the table at the end of next term.

However, it will be difficult for them to get themselves out of the rut they are currently in, with the club failing to win a league game since February and winning just three league matches all season.

Turning their form around, even in a lower division, will be an exceptionally difficult task.

Patterson would probably be a regular starter at Bramall Lane with Ivo Grbic failing to make too much of an impact and Wes Foderingham's contract expiring this summer, but there's a chance that his current club could be just as successful as United next season, especially if they make the right managerial appointment.

If that happens and Patterson moves on, he will be regretting his move to the Blades.

With the Black Cats probably under little pressure to sell him too, with the reasons mentioned in the previous section in mind, that's another factor that could keep the stopper at the SoL.

If the 24-year-old does move on from the SoL, he should be looking to move to an established top-flight side where he is guaranteed regular game minutes.

Wolves could potentially offer him regular starts at some point, so a switch to Molineux should probably be under consideration.

The Midlands club have seemingly admired the keeper for a while, so he should be in contention to secure a decent amount of game time under Gary O'Neil.