Sheffield United backed to re-sign Ben Brereton Diaz on one clear condition | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit wouldn't mind Ben Brereton Diaz returning to the club this summer if the price is right

Sheffield United are looking to improve their attacking options ahead of their third consecutive campaign back in the Championship, and could have their eye on Ben Brereton Diaz once more.

The Chilean international has had two previous stints at Bramall Lane, both on loan, in the second halves of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns.

His first Sheffield United spell came in the midst of their most recent Premier League term, which ended in relegation with 16 points and a record number of goals conceded. However, Brereton Diaz still managed six goals in 14 appearances for the poor Blades side.

The year after, he found himself struggling in a similarly terrible Premier League side at Southampton and was loaned back to Bramall Lane to aid in Sheffield United's promotion push. He scored four and assisted three, but the Blades would fall in the play-off final to Sunderland.

Sheffield United fan pundit encouraged by links with Ben Brereton Diaz

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It seems that this summer, Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is leaning on players he knows will perform for him when relied on, as alongside former loanees Kalvin Phillips and Harry Souttar, Brereton Diaz is also being considered by the higher-ups for a return to South Yorkshire, per the Sheffield Star.

The Blades need improvement across the squad this summer, following their bottom-half finish last season, which stemmed from a horrible start under Ruben Selles.

Star man Gustavo Hamer is the subject of talks over a return to Coventry City, but even if he remains a Sheffield United player, the expectation is that the Dutchman will be playing as a more central option anyway, so a new left-winger would be optimal.

FLW's Blades fan pundit, Jimmy, the host of the Blades Ramble, believes that a move for Brereton Diaz makes sense, and while he may not be a conventional wideman who likes to get at defenders and beat his man, his goalscoring record in the second tier can't be sniffed at.

"I think Brereton Diaz makes sense for us. He knows the club and played well for us previously," he said. "His second stint didn't exactly go well, but he was playing off the right where I think he's less comfortable.

"We're looking for a player to come in off the left. We may be looking to shift Hamer inside to his more natural number 10 position, so Brereton Diaz would be a good option for us.

"I think some Blades fans would be more interested in a more traditional winger and someone who can get past their player a bit more, but he does complement us well and gets goals and assists in the Championship."

Sheffield United told how much they should spend on Ben Brereton Diaz this summer

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With Brereton Diaz spending the entirety of last season on loan at Derby County from Southampton, he returns to St Mary's not appearing to be in Tonda Eckert's plans, so the Saints may prefer a sale this summer.

The 27-year-old netted seven times and provided three assists for the Rams last season, but has previously had 22- and 14-goal campaigns while at Blackburn Rovers, so knows where the back of the net is at second-tier level.

That's led Brereton Diaz to be worth a fair bit over the years, though, with Rovers and Southampton signing him for £7 million in 2020 and 2024, respectively.

Jimmy doesn't want to see his side paying anything close to that, mainly because they don't have the funds to be able to, and knows that, if a permanent move is considered, both the fee and the Chilean's wage demands will need to be negotiated.

"We don't have much money to be throwing around," the fan pundit admitted. "So I wouldn't be looking to pay a big fee for him, certainly no more than £2 million.

"I know that, historically, he's been a big-ticket player, and he's not been cheap to keep, either. So a lot of negotiating would have to be done to make it a viable deal for us."

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As Jimmy alluded to, Sheffield United don't have the funds available to be splashing the cash on a signing this summer.

This summer marks the first under the new Squad Cost Ratio financial rulings in the EFL, and this window is the Blades' first as a Championship side without Premier League parachute payments since January 2019.

So, money is tight at Bramall Lane, hence the new arrivals thus far costing the Blades nothing in terms of a transfer fee, with Romelle Donovan arriving on loan from Brentford and both Matt Doherty and a returning Jairo Riedewald arriving on free transfers.

Additionally, it's been three years since Brereton Diaz's move to Villarreal, which came in the wake of his last 10+ goal campaign at Blackburn. Since then, he's not scored in double digits, including last year, when he played 40 league games at Pride Park.

There's no doubting his quality and, at 27, the versatile attacker can easily return to his best, too. But right now, his value is a little lower than it has been in the past, so a lower deal would need to be made, not only to match that value, but to ensure Sheffield United remain within their own financial constraints this summer.