Sheffield United eye £5m-rated Barnsley star - Bristol City & Blackburn Rovers also keen | OneFootball

An exciting League One talent has made his way onto the Blades' extensive list of targets before Monday's deadline

With just a handful of days left in the mid-season transfer window, Sheffield United will likely be wanting to do more incoming business in a bid to rise up the Championship table.

There was much change at Bramall Lane over the summer both on the pitch and in the dugout following the Blades' play-off final defeat at the hands of Sunderland, but with Chris Wilder back in the hot-seat, and having acquired free agents Jairo Riedewald and Patrick Bamford a few months ago, more additions are being eyed up before Monday's deadline.

Wolves right-back Ki-Jana Hoever is the only new addition to arrive at Bramall Lane on loan for the rest of the season since the window opened, but could new attackers also be coming into the fold?

Barnsley forward Reyes Cleary emerges on Sheffield United radar

Sheffield United let Louie Barry return to Aston Villa early in January after his loan stint did not go to plan, so there is perhaps a vacancy in Chris Wilder's wide attacking spots to fill.

And the Sheffield Star have reported that one player who is on Wilder's long list of targets is Barnsley's Reyes Cleary, who has certainly made a big impression since his move to Oakwell in the summer.

The Tykes took a punt on the 21-year-old in the summer after he impressed on loan in the National League with Hartlepool United, and with his West Brom contract coming to an end, Cleary opted to join the South Yorkshire outfit, despite being offered new terms at The Hawthorns.

Cleary - who thanks to his early form at youth level had been linked with the likes of Borussia Dortmund in 2021 - has made a stunning impact under former Blades loanee Conor Hourihane's management, scoring five times and notching seven assists in League One so far this season, including a goal from his own half against Bradford City, but his most prominent showing came in an FA Cup clash with Liverpool at Anfield, where he was named Player of the Match despite his side being 4-1 losers.

Alan Nixon has claimed that Blackburn Rovers have submitted a second bid worth £1.5 million plus add-ons for Cleary's services this month, with Bristol City also lurking after selling Anis Mehmeti to Ipswich Town, but a reported £5 million price-tag set by Barnsley's hierarchy could scare Championship suitors off.

It remains to be seen if Sheffield United firm up their interest in Cleary before Monday's 7pm deadline, but should Wilder be given the funds to make a splash in the final few days of the transfer window, then Barnsley may need to be braced for action.

It wasn't long ago that Cleary couldn't fit into Walsall's League Two team, hence he was relocated to Hartlepool United in the National League, where he finally started to show some of the flair and goalscoring ability that saw him so highly-rated in West Brom's academy.

Rather than staying in the Midlands and potentially being farmed out on loan again, Cleary took a chance on himself by moving to Barnsley for a crack at more game-time, and it's fair to say that it's worked out so far in a big way.

Barnsley's price-tag of the attacker is a fair one, given his incredible upside, his League One record and his performance against proven Premier League players in the form of Liverpool, and whilst they won't want to lose him after half a season, they may have to be realistic about the fact that every individual has their price.

If United were to firm up their Cleary interest though with a bid, what would that mean for Gustavo Hamer? Chris Wilder prefers to use the Dutchman in the left-winger position in a 4-2-3-1, but Callum O'Hare has also played out there when a 4-4-2 is opted for.

Hamer was also linked away from Bramall Lane earlier in the window, and it was shockingly revealed that a deal could be done for as little as £6 million for last season's Championship Player of the Year. If that is still potentially in the works, then that money could go towards Cleary - but it would be massive boots to fill.