Sheffield United & Stoke City on red alert as Leicester City player set for £7m exit | OneFootball

Tom Cannon will be available to buy permanently before the window shuts, with the two Championship clubs keen.

Sheffield United and Stoke City have been told that they will be able to sign Leicester City's Tom Cannon permanently - but must pay the Premier League side £7 million for the striker.

That's according to a report from The Sun's Alan Nixon, with the Foxes looking to part ways with the 21-year-old just one year after signing him from Everton.

Cannon spent last season as a back-up striker at the King Power Stadium, playing just 13 Championship games, scoring twice. He started in just three of those, after missing the start of the season out with a back injury.

Nevertheless, he does have a decent amount of experience in the Championship, having spent the second half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Preston North End, scoring eight goals in just 20 league appearances.

However, he is far down the pecking order at Leicester, and with the recent signing of Jordan Ayew, his services are seemingly no longer required - something that comes as a boost to Sheffield United and Stoke.

Sheffield United and Stoke City need to raise funds to make Tom Cannon move

Although this new update is a positive for both of the Championship clubs, they will now have to work quickly to find the money for Cannon.

Sheffield United, who are in the process of finalising a takeover from a United States-based consortium, have been pushing to sign the 21-year-old on loan to help them in their bid to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Now, the Blades are looking into a loan-to-buy deal, with the hopes that a place in the top flight next season could fund the signing outright then, without having to sell any key players before the August 30 deadline.

Stoke, on the other hand, will be stumped by the news, having been interested in Cannon for much of the summer.

The £7 million price-tag may force the Potters to look elsewhere for a new striker, with Steven Schumacher's side reluctant to pay the steep fee, according to The Sun.

Tom Cannon would be a good fit for both Sheffield United and Stoke City

There will be fears that spending £7 million on a relatively inexperienced 21-year-old could come back to haunt either team, yet, Cannon has proven that, when given the opportunity, he can produce.

His move to Leicester seemed a good one at the time, with the potential to learn from Jamie Vardy in the coming years.

But, the ever-impressive form of the timeless Vardy has meant that his game-time has been limited, and a return to the second tier as the first choice striker will be the best thing for him.

Stoke are struggling with their striker options, with youngster Emre Tezgel and Lewis Koumas currently sharing the responsibility as the starting centre-forward - Niall Ennis and Ryan Mmaee for now do not seem to be fancied by Steven Schumacher.

The signing of Cannon could bring more consistency to their attacking phase of play, with the 21-year-old offering more experience than both Tezgel and Koumas.

Contrary to the Potters' situation, Sheffield United will be looking for someone who can score on a younger, more goal-hungry version of Kieffer Moore, who is the Blades' number nine at present.

The former AFC Bournemouth striker turned 32 at the start of August, and manager Chris Wilder will be looking for someone to take the mantle from Moore in the long-term, and become a new hero at Bramall Lane in the years to come.