Rangers and West Ham United may have just received a boost, with John Lundstram set to leave Sheffield United.
The Sheffield Star reported over the summer that Rangers and West Ham were both keen on signing Lundstram, alongside Brighton and Hove Albion.
Lundstram was entering his final year at Bramall Lane, and the Blades have been desperately seeking to extend his contract.
However, United boss Chris Wilder has today confirmed that Lundstram wants to leave the club in 2021, and won’t sign a new deal.
Wilder, as quoted by Sky Sports, claims United offered him a deal to become one of the best-paid players at Bramall Lane, but he respects the decision to go.
Wilder doesn’t want to see him walk away for nothing though, and admits that he is now open to offer to sell Lundstram come January.
“We have offered him a very good contract that is up there with the top players at the club and he has made the decision with his agent that he doesn’t want to sign, and I respect that,” said Wilder. “He is a Sheffield United player and still up for selection, but the three options are straightforward for me. He runs down his contract, and he has every right to do that, which is not ideal for us; we try to recoup some value for the player in the January window; or the best option for the football club is he signs the new contract – which doesn’t look like it will happen and that’s unfortunate.”
“He most likely wants to run his contract down, so we will ask for or invite offers for a very good player who did well for us in the Premier League last season. We feel it is a very good offer but there are always two sides to every story and John and his agent feel that they maybe want to negotiate elsewhere, so that’s where it’s at. I am very frustrated about that. Cards on the table, I believe John should have signed it,” he added.
Rangers are in a different position to West Ham here, as they will be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with Lundstram from January 1st.
If West Ham want him, they will need to negotiate a January deal with the Blades or hope that he isn’t signed up elsewhere and can be landed for free next summer.
Lundstram, 26, hit five goals in 34 games last season, impressing as a box-to-box midfield player under Wilder – and both Rangers and West Ham should be very interested by today’s news.
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