Barry Bannan back to Sheffield Wednesday? Millwall set to hand Owls huge transfer boost | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday are hoping to bring Barry Bannan back to the club this summer, and it seems Millwall may be open to a deal.

Sheffield Wednesday are preparing for life back in League One after David Storch completed his takeover of the club.

It was a nightmare season for Wednesday as they suffered relegation from the Championship after winning just two games all season and having a total of 18 points deducted, while they also spent more than six months in administration following former owner Dejphon Chansiri's exit in October.

However, after a turbulent period, there was some good news for the long-suffering Owls fanbase earlier this month when Storch's Arise Capital Partners consortium were confirmed as the new owners of the club.

Despite fears of a fresh punishment, Wednesday will not be given a 15-point deduction in League One next season after Chansiri was deemed to have been obstructive during Storch's attempts to strike a deal with him over his debt, while they will also not be subject to a £7,000 weekly wage cap or a £7 million seasonal spend limit.

In his latest update to supporters on social media this weekend, Storch revealed that strengthening the squad is the top priority of the new ownership, and he claimed that he had "unwavering confidence" in new CEO David Bruce and the recruitment team to build a competitive side, even with the restrictions the club will face for the next two years due to what he described as the "prior owner's behaviour".

An exciting new era is underway at Hillsborough under Storch, but it seems Wednesday are looking to bring an old favourite back to the club next season in former captain Barry Bannan, and their hopes of securing his return have been given a big boost.

Millwall stance on potential Barry Bannan exit outlined amid Sheffield Wednesday return talk

Bannan scored 37 goals and provided 75 assists in 477 games during a 10-and-a-half year spell with Wednesday, but he departed the club in January to join Championship promotion hopefuls Millwall.

However, it has been a frustrating spell at The Den so far for Bannan, with just six of his 16 appearances since his arrival coming from the start, and he was used as a substitute in both legs of the Lions' play-off semi-final defeat to Hull City.

Speculation about a return to Hillsborough for Bannan first emerged last month when The Wednesday Word reported that Wednesday had held internal talks about potentially re-signing their former captain, while The Star claimed this week that a reunion "remains a possibility", despite Millwall's play-off elimination.

The Owls are not believed to have made a final decision on whether to pursue Bannan, but if they decide to press ahead with a move for the 36-year-old, it seems a deal could be within reach.

Despite only signing an 18-month deal with the Lions in January, journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that the London outfit "won't stand in the way" of Bannan if he is keen to return to Wednesday this summer.

Barry Bannan's Sheffield Wednesday return feels inevitable after fresh Millwall update

Prior to his January departure, Bannan had regularly stated his desire to remain at Wednesday for the rest of his career, so it is likely that the Scot would be open to a return to Hillsborough if a deal can be agreed.

Journalist Alan Biggs revealed this week that Bannan only decided to leave during the winter window due to reservations about James Bord's consortium, who were the preferred bidders for the club at the time, but with Storch making a positive start to his tenure, he would surely have no such concerns over the Owls' new owner.

As Wednesday enter a new era, they may feel that it is the right time to move on from their former talisman and build their new-look team around younger players, but there is no doubt that a player of Bannan's quality would be a huge asset in League One.

After Millwall were beaten in the play-offs, there were some question marks over whether Alex Neil would be keen to keep Bannan as part of his squad for another promotion push in the Championship next season, but if the Lions are open to allowing him to leave, it seems only a matter of time before he reunites with the Owls.