Nottingham Forest eyeing move for Sheffield United player | OneFootball

John Egan is thought to be on the Reds' target list, despite the Irishman's injury troubles in recent times.

Highlights

Nottingham Forest are considering a move to take Sheffield United central defender John Egan back to the Premier League, according to The Sun.

The Irishman has been an excellent servant for the Blades since his arrival in the summer of 2018 from Brentford, featuring heavily and winning promotion to the top flight on two occasions.

An Achilles injury, however, kept him out of action for much of the 2023/24 campaign and he proved to be a big miss, with United defending extremely poorly in his absence.

Conceding a whopping 104 goals in 38 top-flight games last season, Egan could have helped to improve that record, but he hasn't featured for the club since September.

That has contributed to his current situation, with the Irishman's contract at Bramall Lane set to end today.

According to the Sheffield Star, United are keen to see how he recovers from his injury before offering the player a new deal.

Egan is fully focused on getting back fit, but there will come a point when he has to make a very important decision about his future, with Forest now thought to be in the mix to recruit him.

Clubs can now make formal approaches for the Irishman and with his future unclear, Chris Wilder may be keen to get him tied down in the coming days or weeks if the central defender manages to progress well in his recovery.

Nottingham Forest keen on John Egan

Forest, who managed to stay up at the end of last term despite being deducted points, will be keen to be as strong as possible heading into the new season.

However, following their breach of financial rules, the East Midlands side will need to watch their spending and this is why Egan could be a good addition, with the defender able to be recruited on a free transfer.

They are keen to offload Joe Worrall and replace him with a similar type of defender, according to The Sun, which could open up a space for Egan at the City Ground.

The same report states that United could offer Egan a new deal, but whether that offer is tabled anytime soon remains to be seen.

The Blades need to ensure they have enough centre-backs at their disposal ahead of next term.

Mason Holgate has already left the club following the end of his loan stay, Chris Basham will leave Bramall Lane when his contract expires and it's believed that Anel Ahmedhodzic will be allowed to depart United this summer.

The likes of Jack Robinson and Auston Trusty are available as options in this area, but more quality and depth will be required, considering how poor the South Yorkshire side were defensively last season.

If Egan recovers well, offering him a new deal should be at the top of their priority list considering how talented the Irishman is.

And they should even be engaging in advanced discussions now ahead of offering a new deal, with United needing to give themselves the best chance of retaining the central defender if he's likely to get back to full fitness in the coming weeks.