Huge transfer twist emerges in Millwall's pursuit of Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan | OneFootball

A new complication has been reported in South Yorkshire

Barry Bannan’s expected farewell to Sheffield Wednesday has been complicated by fresh developments off the pitch regarding his future.

No formal move has yet materialised despite widespread expectation that Saturday’s Championship fixture at Bristol City will be the midfielder’s last appearance for the club.

The 36-year-old captain is said to have told Owls teammates on Friday that he anticipates departing this month in what was a teary goodbye, bringing an end to a decade-long spell that has made him one of the most significant players of the modern era at Hillsborough.

Bannan has made 434 league appearances for Wednesday since joining from Crystal Palace in August 2015, captaining the side through promotion, relegation and, most recently, administration.

With his contract due to expire at the end of the season and the club facing acute financial pressure, his future has become emblematic of Wednesday’s broader uncertainty.

Barry Bannan transfer latest as Millwall links remain unresolved

According to BBC Radio Sheffield’s Rob Staton, Sheffield Wednesday have not, as of now, received a formal approach from Millwall for Bannan, despite the London club being widely reported as the front-runners for his signature.

No permission has been granted for discussions to take place, and Staton indicate that the club's administrators from Begbies Traynor are likely to issue a statement next week to 'clarify the club’s position' on Bannan's future, despite everything that has gone on this week.

That update adds an important layer of nuance to a story that has gathered momentum over recent days.

While Bannan has been strongly linked with a move to The Den, and Millwall’s promotion push would make them a logical destination, there is currently no official bid on the table.

The absence of a formal approach suggests that, for now, speculation may have outpaced concrete action.

Wednesday have been in administration since October, and although a preferred bidder was named on 24th December, progress on a takeover has been slow.

With the EFL’s owners’ and directors’ tests unlikely to conclude before the end of January, the administrators are operating under the assumption that player sales may still be required to ensure short-term cashflow.

In that context, Bannan’s situation is not unique. Teenage defender Yisa Alao, 17, is understood to be close to joining Chelsea, while striker Bailey Cadamarteri, 20, has also attracted interest, though no deal has yet met Wednesday’s valuation.

Henrik Pedersen, Wednesday’s head coach, has spoken openly about the difficulty of the situation.

“I’m speaking with Barry every day and we all know he loves Sheffield Wednesday,” he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

“I hope he will stay. I know he would love to stay but it is a very difficult situation.”

Sheffield Wednesday may still need to sell players in January

On the pitch, Wednesday’s plight is bleak.

They are on the club’s longest-ever winless run, having failed to record a victory in 21 matches, and sit bottom of the Championship on minus seven points after a total of 18 points were deducted for financial breaches.

At this point, relegation is inevitable; stability is not.

Bannan’s likely exit, whether imminent or delayed, is therefore less about one transfer than about what it represents. He has been a constant through instability, a figure of professionalism during years of ownership turmoil.

That he has reportedly sought assurances about the club’s future - and not received them - speaks volumes.

If Saturday does prove to be Bannan’s final game in blue and white, it will mark the end of an era shaped as much by resilience as by success - and underline the scale of the task facing whoever inherits Sheffield Wednesday next.