Stockport County & Barnsley handed Man United transfer blow | OneFootball

Ethan Williams has been the subject of a European loan offer

Barnsley and Stockport County have suffered a blow in their respective pursuits of striking a loan agreement for Ethan Williams of Manchester United, with the young forward the subject of a European loan offer.

The Tykes and Hatters have been among the early-season pace-setters in League One, with Conor Hourihane looking to progress the South Yorkshire side back to a former version of themselves during his first full season in charge at Oakwell after a drab 12th-placed finish last campaign, whilst Dave Challinor will be hoping for more of the same after Stockport finished inside the play-offs.

Both clubs have been extremely active during the course of this summer's transfer window, with the Cheshire side able to recruit the likes of Stoke City prospect Nathan Lowe on loan from the Bet365 Stadium and Malik Mothershille of Peterborough United, whilst the Reds have added to their attacking department with a mixture of youth and experience in the form of David McGoldrick, Caylan Vickers and Reyes Cleary.

However, with just days left for clubs throughout the country to conduct transfer business, the expected third-tier promotion rivals are set to suffer the same negative fate, with Williams, who had impressed during Ruben Amorim's first pre-season in charge of the Red Devils, set to move elsewhere.

Stockport County and Barnsley set to miss out on loan moves for Manchester United's Ethan Williams amid HNK Rijeka offer

It was first reported by Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider on August 16th that a cluster of sides in League One had entered the race to acquire Williams' signature on a loan basis for the remainder of the season, with the Old Trafford side set to sanction his temporary departure.

Stockport and Barnsley were the only two named clubs within the aforementioned report, and they now look set to miss out on a move for the 19-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan with League Two side Cheltenham Town, scoring twice in 17 appearances for the Gloucestershire club.

In a fresh update on Tuesday afternoon, it was first revealed by James Savundra of Sky Sports on the outlet's Tramsfer Centre Live Blog (14:48 / 26/08) that Williams has been the subject of a loan offer from reigning Croatian champions, HNK Rijeka, just weeks after netting for United in their 4-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League's 'Summer Series' pre-season tournament in Chicago.

The aforementioned O'Rourke has since backed up such claims, with Rijeka also able to offer the Carrington academy product the chance to feature in the UEFA Europa League 'League Phase' should they maintain their advantage against Greek Super League side PAOK on Thursday night.

Stockport County and Barnsley will have to seek Ethan Williams alternatives with little time remaining

It is clear that Williams is one of the next in line with the aim of breaking into the first-team picture at Old Trafford after shining at youth level for United's Under-18 and Under-21 age categories, and the chance to source regular minutes alongside the lure of European football at such a young age is an obvious head-turner.

Stockport and Barnsley will no doubt be frustrated by such developments, with the lower reaches of the EFL also synonymous with proving springboards for future England internationals. However, Hourihane and Challinor must seek alternatives with very little time remaining in the window.

The Tykes may be able to soften the blow of losing out on the United winger if they are able to fend off seven other Championship and League One sides in the race to prize Armando Dobra away from Chesterfield, but that will be no easy task with the likes of Derby County and Portsmouth keen on the 24-year-old.