Stoke City sent Sheffield United warning amid £3.9m deal talk - 'I'm definitely surprised' | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit doesn't think that Djibril Soumare is worth the money that Stoke City are reportedly spending on him

Stoke City are reportedly set to kickstart their summer transfer business with a move for former Sheffield United loanee, Djibril Soumare, for a fee that has many raising their eyebrows.

Per Onze Mondial, the Potters have agreed a €4.5 million (£3.9 million) fee for the 23-year-old, who didn't have the smoothest of debut campaigns in the EFL at Bramall Lane last season.

The 23-year-old arrived on loan from Braga last August and was one of the many new arrivals under Ruben Selles who failed to make an impact. His loan move included an obligation to buy upon certain criteria being met, but the Blades won't be keeping him in South Yorkshire for the long term.

Soumare made just 27 appearances for Sheffield United in all competitions, just six of which came after the conclusion of the January transfer window, after Chris Wilder recruited heavily in the midfield, bringing in Kalvin Phillips and Joe Rothwell.

With just two appearances in the final 12 games of the season, not many in the stands at Bramall Lane were disappointed to see him part ways, and therefore are quite surprised to see him close to being back in the Championship and for a decent seven-figure fee, too.

Sheffield United fan pundit questions Stoke City's £3.9 million Djibril Soumare buy

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Portuguese outlet, Record, reported at the time of Soumare's move to Sheffield United that the obligation to buy if the criteria were met would have been €10 million.

In a way, one of the few positives surrounding the poor campaign last term was that they didn't have to offload such a fee for someone who had such little impact on the field.

But, at just 23, there's potential for the midfielder to hit the ground running elsewhere, and FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit, and host of the Blades Ramble, Jimmy, concedes that he didn't get much of a chance at Bramall Lane.

Soumare started three straight league games just once, and that came to an end when he was sent off against Charlton Athletic in January. From then on, he made just three more starts for the Blades and struggled to get back into the side.

That being said, the fact that a £3.9 million price tag is being mooted for him to return to the division with Stoke is a clear overpay, in his opinion.

"I'm definitely surprised that he's going for that price," the fan pundit said.

"When we originally signed him, there was a loan fee involved, and I think the obligation to buy was €10 million, which, watching him play, was a ludicrous price.

"There's clearly something to him as a player; he has potential, and he was arguably the man of the match in two of three games last season. He's very inconsistent, but he didn't get a clear run in the team, so perhaps Stoke are getting a good player, but that's a very high price. I wouldn't have been paying anywhere near that.

"He's maybe worth taking a punt on at £1 million, £1.5 million tops, if you have that money to play with. But that is a huge price for Soumare, and I'm not sure it's a great deal at that money."

Djibril Soumare will have a lot to live up to if Stoke City spend £3.9 million on his services

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Soumare will have quite a bit of pressure on his shoulders if he is to make a move to Stoke for such a fee.

The 23-year-old will be out to prove that he can be a good engine room operator in the Championship after a dud run for an underperforming Sheffield United side, and will want to show the Blades what they were missing out on last season.

Recently, though, such a fee hasn't been attributed to arrivals at Stoke. He'll immediately be under pressure to perform at the bet365 Stadium to live up to his price tag, and Blades fans who watched him last season clearly don't think he can do that.

Nevertheless, if the Senegalese midfielder can prove himself under Mark Robins and prove to be a good signing, then the Potters will have someone who could pull the strings in midfield for years to come as they aim to get back into the promotion conversation, with the play-offs expanding to six teams from next season.

Only time will tell whether the warning signs sent to Stoke over Soumare will come to fruition, or if the 23-year-old will be revitalised at a new club in the Championship.