Sheffield Wednesday: Fourth club named in Barry Bannan chase - Millwall, Preston & Stoke have new transfer rival | OneFootball

Motherwell and another unnamed Scottish side have joined the race for Sheffield Wednesday's Barry Bannan.

A Scottish Premiership side have been named as another potential suitor in the race to sign Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan this month.

Doubts have been raised over the 36-year-old's future at Hillsborough, with his contract coming to an end in the summer and the club still yet to find a buyer to get them out of administration, despite James Bord being named the preferred bidder nearly a month ago.

Bannan was the subject of plenty of interest in the summer when his contract expired, technically leaving him a free agent, but would opt to take a substantial pay cut to remain with the Owls, despite better offers elsewhere.

Now, the midfielder is once again nearing the end of his current deal, which has reportedly seen fellow Championship clubs Millwall, Preston North End and Stoke City all show interest in signing him this January.

However, according to The Sheffield Star, there is also interest in Bannan's native Scotland, with a new club now being named in the hunt for the experienced midfielder's services.

Motherwell join race to sign Sheffield Wednesday's Barry Bannan

According to reports from The Star, Scottish Premiership side Motherwell have joined the race to sign Bannan this month, along with one other unnamed non-Old Firm club.

The former Scotland international has never played league football in his home country, spending all of his senior career thus far in England, having moved to Aston Villa from Celtic in his academy days.

The Owls captain could well be tempted with a move away from England if the option is there, as he reportedly remains hopeful of making Scotland's squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup - despite not playing for the Tartan Army since 2017, with his most recent of 27 caps coming in a 2-2 draw with Slovenia.

Losing players is an unthinkable situation for Sheffield Wednesday this January, as they remain under a transfer embargo, meaning they can only bring in loan players to replace any outgoings - they have already landed Man City's Jaden Heskey and QPR goalkeeper Murphy Cooper, and it remains to be seen if the EFL will be more lenient and let them bring in other new faces.

One man who would be absolutely irreplaceable is Bannan. The 36-year-old has given over a decade of service to the Steel City club, and remains a crucial part of Henrik Pedersen's side in the present day.

However, the midfielder is entering the last six months of his current contract at Hillsborough, which has seen interest arise from plenty of clubs in the Championship, and now north of the border as well.

January will be a long month for Sheffield Wednesday fans

Being free of Chansiri has undoubtedly been a massive relief for Wednesdayites, but there is still a very long road ahead for the Yorkshire-based club to get back to where they want to be.

With their embargo set to last until the end of the winter transfer window next year, every window will be a painfully long month for supporters, especially with interest in their players from clubs who can pay a lot more money than them.

It seems like the Bannan saga could drag on and on all winter, which will have Sheffield Wednesday fans nervous all month, and with clubs joining the race for his services left, right and centre, it's going to be a long month ahead.

However, the Owls have been in this position many times before with Bannan, and every time he's remained at the club, so they will be hoping that he won't walk out mid-season this time, given his special relationship with the club.