Sheffield United interest in Barnsley ace could spark new Gus Hamer fear | OneFootball

Barnsley winger Reyes Cleary is being targeted by Sheffield United this month

Sheffield United are interested in raiding Yorkshire rivals Barnsley before the transfer deadline, with 21-year-old winger Reyes Cleary emerging as a potential target.

It hasn’t been a vintage season for the Blades thus far, sitting closer to the bottom three than the top six at this stage.

The Ruben Selles tenure went about as badly as it could have possibly gone, with the Spaniard lasting just six games in charge before the Blades were left with their tails between their legs, bringing Chris Wilder back to Bramall Lane just months after dismissing him.

Wilder has overseen an upturn in form and performances in South Yorkshire since returning for his 3rd separate spell at the club, though with just days of the transfer window remaining, he is running out of time to really stamp his authority on the squad.

With just days remaining before the winter deadline passes, the Blades have identified Barnsley star winger, Reyes Cleary, as a potential option to come in and play off the left flank, as per The Star.

Both Callum O’Hare and Gustavo Hamer have played in that role this season, with the latter making that position his own in 2024-25, and if Cleary does indeed come in, it could open the door for the Dutchman in particular to depart, given the early window rumours.

Sheffield United’s Reyes Cleary interest could spell danger for Gustavo Hamer’s future

Hamer has long been touted as one of the best players in the Championship since first bursting onto the scene with Coventry City in 2020, coming inches away from securing promotion to the Premier League with the Sky Blues before a £15 million move to the Blades in the summer of 2023.

However, this season he has seen his game time take a hit, starting just 13 of his 21 league appearances this campaign, where he had previously been an ever-present in the starting 11 in years gone by.

When he has played, it has tended to be off the left flank, though he has had to compete with Callum O’Hare for a starting berth, ultimately limiting his minutes, with the Aston Villa academy graduate having an excellent season.

Sheffield United’s interest in Cleary, who has scored five goals and grabbed seven assists from out wide for Barnsley in League One this season, could spell danger for Hamer, who has 18 months left on his current deal at Bramall Lane, having previously been linked with a £6 million move away, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Turkish side Trabzonspor, Spanish La Liga outfit Sevilla and Cremonese of Italy's Serie A have all been credited with interest in Hamer earlier in January, and he may well be on the verge of exit should a deal be struck by Sheffield United for Cleary.

Whether Wilder would be willing to let the Brazilian-born Dutchman leave the club within the next few days remains to be seen, though if Cleary does indeed sign, then his game time would surely take even more of a hit, and at 28, he ought to be in the prime of his career and will not want to waste it on the bench.

At 21, Cleary has emerged from nowhere to become one of the hottest prospects in not just League One, but in the entire EFL.

A graduate of the West Brom youth system, Cleary spent the second half of last season on loan in the fifth tier of English football with Hartlepool United, scoring six and assisting three in 20 National League games, having previously struggled on loan with League Two Walsall.

The Baggies offered him a new contract in the summer, but the forward gambled and opted to join Barnsley in a permanent deal - something which has well and truly worked given the amount of interest in his services.

Sheffield United are not the only side after Cleary, however, with both Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City chasing the Englishman’s signature before the end of the window.

Alan Nixon has claimed that Blackburn have had a second bid worth around £1.5 million turned down by Barnsley, with Bristol City eyeing Cleary as a replacement for the outgoing Anis Mehmeti.

With the clock ticking down to the deadline on February 2nd, whether Cleary does indeed get his move to the Championship, and to which club, remains to be seen.