Sheffield Wednesday take step ahead of West Brom and Luton in Ian Poveda race | OneFootball

The winger is a top target for the Owls this summer.

Sheffield Wednesday have entered into formal discussions with Ian Poveda but face further competition for the free agent's signature from a top-flight French side.

Wednesday's desire to sign Poveda has been no inside secret. He's been listed as one of their prime options for this summer window since around the end of last season, the latter half of which he spent on loan at Hillsbrough from Leeds United.

The deal which saw him join Danny Röhl's team was initially supposed to be a permanent one, but it got changed to a temporary one late on.

After years of hit-and-miss loan moves, the Colombian, 24, finally appeared to find some sort of family that wanted him back, and the Owls would probably like to get a deal with him sorted quickly as pressure from other clubs, who also want his signature, mounts.

The blue side of the Steel City has been much more active than the red side in these early stages of the summer transfer window. Two signings will become official when goalkeeper Ben Hamer and full-back Max Lowe's contracts with their respective clubs, Watford and the Blades, expire.

Former Southampton right-back Yan Valery is also expected to complete a move to the Yorkshire side soon, after Wednesday agreed a fee with French side Angers for his services.

As much as these deals appear to have gone smoothly, things might not play out quite so well on the Poveda front. But Wednesday certainly appear to be near the front of the queue, if not at it.

Sheffield Wednesday's talks with Ian Poveda

The Sheffield Star believe that the club and their former loanee have entered into "formal discussions," over a deal that would see Poveda join the Owls permanently. Outline contract talks are said to have taken place.

There's plenty of interest from Championship teams in the 24-year-old. Luton Town, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion have all been named as teams that are keen on him by the Star.

The Yorkshire outlet also believe that a team from France's top division, Ligue 1, has been added to that list of interested parties.

Wednesday are hoping, according to the Star, that his development while he was there last season, his pre-exisiting relationship with the boss, and the affection that he received from the club's fans during his time there, are enough to convince him to rejoin the Owls.

Stats can't tell the whole Ian Poveda, Sheffield Wednesday story

Purely looking at the black and white, the numbers from his time with the club, you wouldn't think that Wednesday would be quite so keen to have him back. He featured in 10 games, eight of which were starts, and he only got one assist.

Compare that to another loanee in Ike Ugbo, who was much more productive (eight combined goals and assists), the seemingly obvious choice of the two to try and pursue again is the latter.

They are said to be trying to bring the Nigerian forward back to Hillsbrough, but the cost of a deal for him may make it a tricky one to do, as per the Star.

With Poveda, it's not about what comes up on the stats sheet. It's about what the fans, the manager, and the other players saw when he played for them.

Things just clicked for the Colombian in his time at the club, and the admiration that the supporters and Röhl have for him because of that short loan spell tell you everything you need to know about why they want him back, because they wouldn't have been so keen if he didn't catch their eye on the pitch.