Sheffield United and Coventry City in transfer battle for 12-goal striker | OneFootball

Sheffield United and Coventry City are both keen on Preston's Emil Riis, who will be a free agent this summer.

Sheffield United and Coventry City are among the clubs tracking Preston’s Emil Riis, with the striker set to be a free agent in a matter of weeks.

The Danish striker joined North End in 2020 from Randers, and he has had a mixed time of things in English football over the past five years.

The 2024/25 campaign was Riis’ second most productive in the Championship since his arrival, as he found the net 12 times for Preston in what was a tough season for the club on the whole.

Sheffield United and Coventry City monitoring Emil Riis

With his contract expiring, there are major doubts about Riis’ future, and it seems he is ready to take the next step in his career away from Deepdale.

And, there’s plenty of interest in the striker, with Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph revealing that the Blades and the Sky Blues could both offer Riis a contract ahead of the new season.

“Sheffield United & Coventry City are among a number of Championship clubs keen on Preston North End striker Emil Riis Jakobsen. The 26yo is out of contract soon & it's understood he'd prefer to join a club with ambitions to gain promotion to the Premier League.”

Emil Riis would be a low-risk move for Sheffield United or Coventry City

It’s no surprise to see that there is interest in Riis, as all clubs are searching for potential bargains in the transfer window, and you have to say that he falls into that category due to his contract status.

Some will look at his goal record and be underwhelmed, which is fair enough, as he has only hit double figures twice in five seasons, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Firstly, he has had bad luck on the injury front in that period, and Riis is a physical striker who offers a lot to the team with the way he plays. He can be a decent focal point, he will bring others into the game, and he will occupy defenders.

When you add in that he has Championship experience, Riis is a player who will become a good squad option for the likes of Coventry or Sheffield United.

From the perspective of the player, you can see why he wants to move to a club that will hope to be in the hunt for promotion, and the two clubs mentioned, who reached the play-offs last season, will expect to be in the mix once again.