Chris Wilder reacts when asked about Sheffield United signing Brentford star | OneFootball

The Sheffield United manager has opened up on his side's reported interested in the Brentford midfielder.

Chris Wilder has refused to be drawn into any talk regarding the future of Frank Onyeka, as Sheffield United chase a deal for the Brentford midfielder.

The Blades are one of several Championship sides who are reportedly interested in the 28-year-old, after the Daily Mail reported on Monday that they had entered the race to sign the Nigerian.

Onyeka is available for either a loan or permanent move away from Brentford, as Keith Andrews' side push towards a European spot in the Premier League after an excellent first-half of the campaign.

Nevertheless, Sheffield United boss Wilder has remained coy in his approach after he was asked about the supposed interest in the player, with the transfer window into its final two weeks.

Chris Wilder speaks out on Sheffield United's Frank Onyeka interest

The Blades have had a dismal season, and while their form has picked up in the last couple of months, they remain towards the bottom-half of the Championship table and reinforcements are desperately needed at Bramall Lane.

Despite this, Wilder refused to comment openly on Sheffield United's reported interest in Onyeka, and instead spoke out that his side are in the market for a new midfielder, without explicitly naming a player.

With the Blades struggling for midfield options, he said: "It's going to be a struggle for Wednesday now, but we're working our way towards the weekend."

But when asked about Onyeka, he responded: "Keep trying. We're after somebody in the middle of the park, so there's a list of players that are there, and some are on the spot and some are miles off. And as I said last week, we work incredibly hard to try and get them over the line. We're still working incredibly hard to improve."

Sheffield United's current midfield options leave a lot to be desired

Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic was somewhat of a disaster for Sheffield United as not only did defender Japhet Tanganga receive a red card, but also midfielder Djibril Soumare, leaving Wilder without a key man in the middle of the park for the next three games.

Meanwhile, Oli Arblaster, Tom Davies and Sydie Peck are working towards full fitness and are perhaps not ready to be relied upon fully considering where the Blades currently are in the Championship table.

Gustavo Hamer could also depart the club this January, and his exit would leave a huge hole to fill on the left side for Sheffield United. The former Coventry City man can also feature in central midfield, and therefore it is vital that signings are brought in quickly.

Onyeka would provide depth, experience and strength to the Blades' midfield, but with their lowly league position and the chance of promotion with the likes of Coventry and Middlesbrough, this may be a tough deal to pull off.