Harry Souttar twist revealed as Sheffield United chase Leicester City transfer | OneFootball

Harry Souttar had told Leicester City that he would like to move on, and Sheffield United's interest is palpable

Sheffield United need a few centre-back additions this summer, and it's evident that Leicester City's Harry Souttar is near the top of their wishlist.

The 27-year-old Australian international had to watch mainly from the sidelines last season as the Foxes suffered their second successive relegation to League One, returning for the final two games following an Achilles injury he picked up while on loan at Bramall Lane in late 2024.

Before his untimely injury, Souttar played a huge role in the Blades' side that were five points clear atop the Championship table at Christmas, despite a two-point deduction, having lost just two of their 22 games and conceding only 11 times.

Leicester evidently missed him throughout last season, and questions could be asked whether the Foxes would have avoided relegation to the third tier if the Australian had stayed fit, as he's one of the better second-tier defenders when he is.

Therefore, with relegation confirmed, there's been plenty of interest in the 27-year-old, especially following a World Cup campaign with the Soceroos that saw Souttar captain the side and play every minute, proving his fitness.

Amongst the most interested of those sides were Sheffield United, but, unfortunately, a reported £10 million asking price from the Foxes would be well out of the Blades' budget.

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Sheffield United haven't given up hope in their chase for Souttar, though, despite the hefty asking price from Leicester, and the defender has, according to the Sheffield Star, told his club that he'd like to explore a move elsewhere.

The 27-year-old is clearly above League One level, shown through his performances in North America this summer, and with him not contributing to the disaster that was last season at the King Power Stadium, he's one of the few who hasn't received much backlash from Leicester fans, so a departure would likely be amicable.

It's unclear whether his desire to play higher than the third tier has changed Leicester's stance regarding the £10 million price tag they slapped on him. As it stands, Sheffield United are still set to be priced out of a deal if that doesn't shift.

But with the likes of Wrexham and West Ham, two of the big-hitters when it comes to budgets in the Championship, also put off by the asking price, Russell Martin's side may be forced to lower their price tag.

Souttar is interested in a move back to Bramall Lane, so if they lower it to the point where Sheffield United can make a bid within their realms, the 27-year-old could end up back in South Yorkshire.

It's been a difficult summer thus far for the Blades, as they navigate their first transfer window as a Championship club without Premier League parachute payments since January 2019. Securing Souttar's signature would go a long way to getting some fans back onside before the season begins.

How Sheffield United fans have reacted to Harry Souttar transfer update

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There's no doubt that Sheffield United fans online want to see the towering six-foot-six centre-back in a Blades shirt once more, but early reaction seems to be more rational than anything.

One fan online did get excited about the prospect of bringing Souttar back, stating that it shows signs that "the board are serious about getting us out of this league!" Replies to that, though, outlined that they still needed to negotiate the asking price down before pushing for a move.

"Depends on the fee mate. Anything close to what LCFC are quoting then we won’t be in that race. Would love him back personally but equally it depends on what budget we have. There's easily another 4-5 players we need," one replied.

Another said, "I wouldn’t be paying 10mil for him, regardless of who the board are. That’s stupid money for someone that’s had such a big injury."

In response to a Blades fan account relaying the report on X, one fan suggested that they move on from Souttar, with his injury risk and price tag proving too much for them to take a risk on.

"We need to move on, concentrate on signings that don’t carry such a big injury risk and sell them as a major win," he said.

There's no doubt that Souttar would be a good signing for Sheffield United, and that the Australian will be a much-needed upgrade to the defensive line, but there's still a lot of logistics that need ironing out before a move can reach the next stage.