Sheffield United and Southampton closing in on temporary transfer agreement | OneFootball

The Blades are moving closer to a deal for their former loan star...

Sheffield United are set for a reunion with Southampton striker Ben Brereton Diaz, as the Saints and the Blades move closer to finalizing a loan deal.

That's according to a Patreon report from Alan Nixon on Sunday, who describes the Chilean international as being keen on a return to Bramall Lane this month.

The 25-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan with Sheffield United, scoring six goals in 14 Premier League appearances before returning to then parent club Villareal.

However, since joining Southampton in the summer for around £7m, he's yet to open his goalscoring account at St. Mary's, and now looks set for a loan move back to the Championship.

Southampton forward Ben Brereton Diaz set for Sheffield United loan move

As revealed via his Patreon, Nixon reports that Southampton forward Brereton Diaz is closing in on a loan move back to Sheffield United.

Having seen his opportunities limited at St. Mary's so far this season, despite the Saints' struggles in the Premier League so far, the versatile forward is understood to have endorsed the prospect of a return to Bramall Lane.

As a result, Nixon states that this could be a deal that could be completed quickly, as it would appear both parties have a mutual interest in finalizing a temporary switch this month.

Southampton manager Ivan Juric has confessed to needing to trim down his Saints squad in January, and with the presence of Paul Onuachu, Adam Armstrong and Cameron Archer in the centre-forward ranks, Brereton Diaz appears to have been circled as one of those who can leave.

The Star have reported that Blades boss Chris Wilder is looking to bolster his attacking ranks, and has earmarked the capture of Brereton Diaz as a priority this month.

Sheffield United have fielded one of the meanest and best defenses in the Championship so far this season, with Wilder's side conceding 0.7 goals per match and have recorded 15 clean sheets from their opening 26 league games - per FotMob.

However, Gustavo Hamer is the club's current top scorer with just six goals, whilst strikers Tyrese Campbell and Kieffer Moore both sit on five goals each respectively, whilst Rhian Brewster and Ryan One both have one.

Therefore, if there's an area of Sheffield United's squad that may need bolstering ahead of their big promotion push in the second half of the season, it may well be their attack.

Brereton Diaz is a striker who's proven himself as having the ability to be a deadly marksman at Championship level, with his goals as a Blackburn Rovers player from a couple of seasons ago earning him a feared reputation across the second tier.

Should he be able to replicate his form in-front of goal from his final few seasons at Ewood Park, the Chilean could make all the difference when it comes to Sheffield United securing promotion back to the Premier League.

Having also shown he's capable of finding the net in the top-flight as a Blades player, it could have the potential as being a loan deal that precedes a permanent switch to Bramall Lane in the summer depending on the respective league positions of United and Southampton.

Either way, capturing Brereton Diaz this month could be a masterstroke by Wilder, and it would no doubt send a very clear signal of intent by the Blades to the rest of their promotion rivals.