Sheffield United were snubbed by Barnsley FC - Birmingham City & West Brom should gazump Chris Wilder | OneFootball

Sheffield United failed to sign Reyes Cleary in January, and they could face competition for the Barnsley man if they return for him this summer.

The January transfer window is notoriously difficult for clubs for all sorts of reasons, not least because those who are selling are reluctant to lose their key men.

Of course, every player has a price, but that was the case with Barnsley in the winter window this season, as they battled to retain Reyes Cleary amid interest from Sheffield United.

It’s no surprise that the Blades were tracking the attacker, as Cleary has enjoyed a brilliant campaign for the Tykes, scoring six goals and registering 11 assists for the South Yorkshire outfit.

As well as that, his all-round game has been impressive, with the 21-year-old excelling against a strong Liverpool side in the FA Cup earlier this year.

Reyes Cleary is likely to leave Barnsley in the summer window

Therefore, it seems highly likely that Cleary will leave Oakwell in the summer, particularly because Barnsley are going to struggle to win promotion back to the Championship.

It remains to be seen whether the Blades return with an offer for the forward in the summer, but it could be a case that they missed their opportunity to sign Cleary in the recent window.

That’s because you would expect plenty of rival interest to emerge in the player, and whilst the prospect of joining Chris Wilder’s side will appeal, it’s a different dynamic in the summer for a host of reasons.

With that in mind, we look at TWO other Championship clubs who should make a move to sign Cleary in the summer…

Birmingham City

Birmingham City have been big spenders under their US owners over the past few years, and whilst they will have to be mindful of financial rules, it would be no surprise if they go big once again this summer.

Chris Davies has a talented squad, so it’s not like they need wholesale changes, but they will want to add more spark in attack.

Ibrahim Osman is only on loan at Birmingham right now, so bringing in a left-sided attacker to compete with Demarai Gray could be a priority, and Cleary would fit the bill.

You would expect the youngster to improve around better players, and he could also learn a lot from the likes of Gray, as well as working with Davies, providing he sticks around.

Finally, Birmingham would also see Cleary as a useful long-term investment. As mentioned, they need to keep an eye on financial rules, so you would expect them to target younger players who can develop and grow in value over the years.

West Brom

Obviously, this is only a viable option for Albion if they stay in the league, and there’s a lot of doubt over that right now as they are in terrible form.

Plus, with Cleary having come through the ranks at The Hawthorns, it’s unclear how he would feel about the prospect of returning to a club that he may feel didn’t give him the opportunities he deserved.

It’s also not a good look for the Baggies to potentially spend several million on a player they let go just a year ago.

However, that was a mistake from Albion, and from a football perspective, Cleary has qualities that they are crying out for, as his pace and unpredictability would improve what is a very poor Albion attacking unit.

Simply put, he is a major upgrade on what they have right now, and the fact West Brom agreed a 20 per cent sell-on clause with Barnsley for the player means they may be in a position to do a more favourable deal than any rivals for his signature.