Sheffield United eyeing Birmingham City transfer ahead of Chris Wilder rebuild | OneFootball

Chris Wilder watched Marc Leonard's performance for Hearts against Rangers on Monday

Sheffield United will be glad to see the back of this campaign, with the Blades resigned to a bottom-half finish after never truly recovering from a poor start despite Chris Wilder’s return.

It’s been a chaotic year at Bramall Lane for Sheffield United, who will be pleased the 2025/26 season is finally over.

A 13th-place finish on 60 points is the best they were able to manage this time around, despite reaching the play-off final last year on 90 points, dropping a mighty 30 points in comparison to just 12 months ago.

Last year's tally would have seen them automatically promoted in almost any other year if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Leeds United and Burnley, including this one, with 2nd-place Ipswich finishing in 84 points.

Wilder will be eager to reshape his Blades squad after last summer's transfer business was overseen by former Reading and Hull City boss Ruben Selles, with a huge turnover of players expected in South Yorkshire over the coming months, and the 58-year-old is already seemingly on a scouting mission of his own just days after the end of the season.

Chris Wilder takes in Marc Leonard’s performance from the stands in Hearts victory over Rangers amid potential Sheffield United interest

It would be fair to suggest that, upon his return to Bramall Lane just months after his dismissal, Wilder wasn’t especially pleased with how the squad had been left to him.

Key departures of the likes of Kieffer Moore, Vinicius Souza, and Anel Ahmedhodzic left Sheffield United depleted of the quality they had in each area across the pitch, and none were effectively replaced by Selles.

Wilder exemplified this with the free additions of both striker Patrick Bamford and midfielder Jairo Riedewald outside the transfer window, with both eventually going on to play key roles in their side this campaign.

The boyhood Blade will almost certainly play a keen role in recruitment this summer, and has already seemingly begun his own scouting mission.

In Hearts’ 2-1 victory over Rangers at Tynecastle on Monday, Wilder was seen pictured sitting next to Scottish men’s national team boss Steve Clarke, with Pete O’Rourke reporting via X that the Sheffield United boss was taking a keen interest in midfielder Marc Leonard, currently on loan from Birmingham City.

Leonard struggled for game time at St Andrews following Blues’ promotion to the Championship, and was allowed to head north to Edinburgh in January in search of more game time, where he has proven to be crucial towards the Jam Tarts’ title efforts in the middle of the park.

A late red card picked up against Livingston has been the only blemish on an otherwise excellent stint for Derek McInnes’ side thus far, and he will be hoping to top the campaign off by lifting the Scottish Premiership title with Hearts ahead of assessing his options this summer.

Wilder has had a plethora of options at his disposal in midfield this season, but seemingly unsatisfied with the majority of his options, he’s looking to shake things up in that area, with Leonard emerging as a potential target.

Marc Leonard’s addition would begin Sheffield United’s summer rebuild in the middle of the park

At this very moment, midfield is one area of the pitch in which Sheffield United are absolutely stacked, and you would imagine that something must give with at least a few of them this summer.

Tom Davies is out of contract, with no renewal in sight. Gustavo Hamer and Sydie Peck have both been linked with moves away in recent months. Kalvin Phillips and Djibril Soumare will return to their parent clubs following the end of their loan spells, whilst Alex Matos is unfancied by Wilder.

This still leaves Ollie Arblaster, who has struggled with injuries, Callum O’Hare, Jairo Riedewald, and Joe Rothwell as options, the latter of whom was signed in January from Rangers, so is unlikely to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Should a move for Leonard become feasible for Wilder, it goes without saying that there must be a plethora of changes made in the middle of the park.

Birmingham’s stance on the 24-year-old, at this stage, remains unclear, especially with the future of Chris Davies up in the air, and they may wait to see what a new manager thinks of the Scot before deciding on him, should Davies indeed depart.

Where Leonard will be playing his football next year remains to be seen, but with Sheffield United on a scouting mission, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it were in the Championship.