Barry Bannan closing in on Sheffield Wednesday return? Fresh transfer update drops | OneFootball

The Scot has been the subject of intense transfer links ahead of the summer window

Sheffield Wednesday's preparations for their first campaign for three years in League One have already generated plenty of attention, and pre-season at Hillsborough is still yet to commence.

The Owls are, arguably, the EFL's greatest 'sleeping giant', having resided outside the Premier League for 26 years, and are now hoping for an extremely bright future after years of uncertainty.

It has been well-documented that the Steel City outfit's relegation from the Championship into the third tier earlier in 2026 came with a huge backdrop of financial uncertainty, takeover limbo and an extremely threadbare squad at Henrik Pedersen's disposal.

Indeed, Wednesday were docked 18 points by the EFL - 12 of which came in October after entering administration - but will start the 2026/27 campaign on a clean slate under the ownership of David Storch, who saw his long-awaited takeover mission completed on May 1st through his consortium, Arise Capital Partners LLC.

The aforementioned Pedersen, despite only overseeing two victories last term in extremely uncertain circumstances, is now expected to continue in the Hillsborough dugout, and after the governing body had waived a 15-point deduction, as well as previous suggestions of a spending cap, the Dane is, rather unsurprisingly, looking to tie down several pre-existing members of the squad ahead of a critical rebuild.

It also comes as little surprise that the Owls, who were relegated alongside Oxford United and Leicester City, have already seen a handful of players linked with moves to S6, and the most high-profile name, by far, is Barry Bannan, who only ended his lengthy first spell with the club in January, moving to Millwall.

And, with pre-season looming large, a fresh transfer update has emerged concerning the 36-year-old.

Fresh Barry Bannan transfer update emerges as Sheffield Wednesday return talk intensifies

Action Images

As previously mentioned, the 27-time Scotland international is a modern-day cult hero in this part of South Yorkshire, having given everything to bring short and long-term success to Owls supporters in a strong mix of circumstances throughout Dejphon Chansiri's controversial reign as owner.

Bannan was a part of Wednesday's two sides which suffered Championship play-off heartbreak at the hands of Hull City - in the 2016 final - and Huddersfield Town 12 months later in the semi-finals, before lifting the League One play-off trophy in 2023 under Darren Moore after a dramatic success over Barnsley at Wembley.

The technically-gifted, deep-lying midfield ace continued to be the 'poster boy' at Hillsborough for many years, but his initial 'goodbye' came in a 2-0 loss to Bristol City at Ashton Gate in January, where he was seen in tears post-match and in the dressing room, with a 18-month contract with Millwall then penned.

However, the Lions missed out on promotion to the Premier League on two counts, including a 2-0 aggregate loss to Hull in the semi-finals, after which his wife appeared to have taken a swipe at compatriot and boss, Alex Neil.

As such, with Wednesday's rebuild underway, Bannan has been heavily linked with a return, and the Sheffield Star have now provided a fresh update on the matter.

According to the local publication, the South London side are willing to suddenly part ways with the man who made 16 appearances for them in the second half of the season, and that formal talks over a return to the Steel City have somewhat commenced.

However, there is no indication that another sentimental transfer with boyhood Owl, Jamie Vardy, has any momentum as things stand.

Barry Bannan's previous Sheffield Wednesday hopes could be realised

Action Images

At the time of his exit, in a lengthy emotional statement, one of Bannan's quotes were: "I'll start by thanking you for the 11 years I've been here. It's been amazing, and I've said all along, God-willing, I'll be back here in some capacity, whether it's coaching, as a fan, whatever that may be. I will be in the stadium when I've finished playing.

"Because of you, I stayed here so long, and hopefully one day we will meet again," he added.

As such, even though he maybe didn't imagine he would return to Hillsborough so soon in a playing capacity, those dreams could soon be realised.

Given his ability, if a transfer is to be finalised, there would be plenty of focus on Bannan's creative exploits from midfield in League One, even though many Wednesdayites would hope the upcoming rebuild is meticulously planned out rather than rushed, meaning the club wouldn't fall into the similar trap which it recently found itself in.

But, after such uncertainty, the thought of Bannan leading Wednesday back to the Championship would feel extremely poetic in the eyes of many.