Sheffield Wednesday must only sell Pierce Charles to West Ham on two conditions | OneFootball

West Ham United have made a bid for Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles, but the Owls should only consider selling on two clear conditions.

It has been a nightmare summer for Sheffield Wednesday, and there could be more pain to come for the Owls before the end of the transfer window.

After failing to pay the wages of players and staff on time for four of the past five months, Sheffield Wednesday have been hit with a four-window transfer fee ban, and they could face further punishment in the form of a points deduction.

In a desperate attempt to raise funds, under-fire owner Dejphon Chansiri sold star duo Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama to Samsunspor and Rangers respectively for a combined total of just £3 million, leaving many Owls supporters furious as they felt they could have made a bigger profit on two of their prized assets.

Musaba and Gassama are not the only players to depart this summer as a result of the financial crisis at Hillsborough, and the contracts of forwards Josh Windass and Michael Smith were terminated by mutual consent after the pair handed in their notices following two consecutive months of late wages.

Those exits have left Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen with a threadbare squad of just 15 senior players, but that number could potentially be set to decrease even further amid interest in goalkeeper Pierce Charles.

West Ham United remain keen on Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles

It was an impressive breakthrough year for Charles last season, with the talented shot-stopper establishing himself as Wednesday's first-choice goalkeeper towards the end of the campaign, as well as cementing his place as Northern Ireland's number one at international level.

Charles continued to catch the eye at the start of this season, making a host of key saves in the Owls' 2-1 defeat at Leicester City on the opening weekend before keeping out two penalties in the shoot-out victory at Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup.

Unfortunately for Charles, he is now facing a spell on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, and that forced Wednesday to enter the transfer market to bring in a replacement, with Ethan Horvath arriving on an emergency loan from Cardiff City until January.

However, Charles' injury does not appear to have deterred his suitors, and after Rangers and Strasbourg made offers for the 20-year-old earlier in the summer, The Times claim that a £2.2 million bid from Premier League side West Ham United remains on the table.

Pedersen has made it clear that he is hoping to keep hold of Charles this summer, but with the Owls in desperate need of new signings to bolster their squad, his sale would help to bring in crucial funds, and that means an intriguing few days could be in store ahead of Monday's transfer deadline.

Sheffield Wednesday should only sanction Pierce Charles, West Ham move on two conditions

After a summer of turmoil, Wednesday supporters have become accustomed to hearing bad news about their club, but frustration with Chansiri would reach new levels if he sold a player as talented as Charles for a cut-price fee.

Thankfully for the Owls faithful, it seems Chansiri is prepared to hold out for a substantial sum for Charles, with journalist Alan Nixon reporting earlier this month that the South Yorkshire outfit will demand around £8 million for the Northern Ireland international.

Given Wednesday's need for cash, it is difficult to blame West Ham for attempting to buy Charles for a lower price, but unless they are willing to meet his £8 million valuation, Chansiri should not even consider selling, and it could even be argued that, in normal circumstances, he would be asking for an eight-figure fee.

Having just signed Mads Hermansen from Leicester City for a fee of £20 million, Charles would be unlikely to get much game time at the London Stadium immediately, and the Hammers are said to be willing to loan him back to the Owls for the season.

Horvath made a host of errors during his time at Cardiff, and he was also at fault for Wrexham's second goal on his debut in the 2-2 draw at the SToK Cae Ras on Saturday, which underlines just how important it is for Wednesday that Charles spends the remainder of the season at Hillsborough.

The Owls' survival chances already appear to be incredibly slim, but without Charles between the sticks, relegation to League One would be even more of a certainty, so Chansiri must ensure that a loan back agreement is included in any potential deal with West Ham.

With less than a week of the window to go, it looks unlikely at this stage that Charles will be departing, particularly given his injury, but despite their current predicament, Wednesday must take a firm stance if the Hammers return with an improved bid over the coming days.