Blackburn Rovers ready to launch Sheffield Wednesday transfer swoop | OneFootball

Financial pressure could force Sheffield Wednesday into January sale

Further details have emerged over a potential move that would take Bailey Cadamarteri away from Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls striker has been linked with a January exit from Hillsborough, with Scottish Premiership side Hibernian tabling what has been described as a “mid-level six-figure” offer.

That bid - and any that follow - currently sit with the club’s administrators, who are reported to have rejected Hibs’ initial approach.

There remains the possibility, however, that Blackburn Rovers could return for the 20-year-old with a proposal built on more favourable terms.

Structure of bids will influence any Sheffield Wednesday transfer moves this January

Writing on his Patreon, journalist Alan Nixon has reported that Wednesday may yet be forced to cash in on Cadamarteri, despite turning down Hibernian’s opening bid.

The decisive factor for the cash-strapped club is not simply the headline figure, but the structure of any deal.

With Wednesday operating under administration, they require money now rather than later.

Nixon says Hibs’ offer was built around a modest down payment supplemented by performance-related add-ons - a model that does little to ease the club’s immediate cash-flow pressures.

Blackburn, by contrast, are understood to be able to offer a more front-loaded package, with a higher proportion of the fee paid up front and fewer incentives deferred to the future.

Cadamarteri himself is said to be open to a move. According to Nixon, it was his agent who brought the Hibernian proposal to the administrators in the first place.

That this is happening while Wednesday’s first-team is decimated by injuries - to the extent that 13 academy players were required against Brentford in the FA Cup - only underlines the severity of the circumstances the squad are being asked to endure.

Any potential sale must be understood against the backdrop of Sheffield Wednesday’s ongoing financial crisis.

Nixon reports that the club is due to repay a £1 million loan from an anonymous Owls supporter who provided emergency funding during the early stages of administration.

A further £2.3 million is due from the EFL later this month, but those funds are being treated with caution while ownership uncertainty persists.

It has become increasingly clear, through statements on Friday from both the administrators and the EFL, that the vetting process for Wednesday’s preferred bidder - former professional poker player James Bord and his consortium - will not be completed swiftly.

Nixon adds that links to cryptocurrency within the consortium will complicate the league’s fit-and-proper-persons test, potentially prolonging the process further.

The result is a club caught in a precarious holding pattern: either sell players to stay solvent, or hope that prospective buyers inject further unsecured cash while the EFL’s checks continue.

Cadamarteri is not the only asset attracting attention.

The opening days of the January window have also seen Pierce Charles linked with a move to Strasbourg, while Charlie McNeill has been associated with interest from other Championship clubs.

The youngsters playing in the Owls' shop window have also caused transfer anxiety. Most notably, they remain optimistic about retaining the services of young left back Yisa Alao amid links to Liverpool and Manchester United's elite academies.