Newcastle United’s Grant Hanley sale could inadvertently boost Sunderland’s Tom Lees hopes

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Sheffield Wednesday look likely to sign Newcastle United’s Grant Hanley as a potential replacement for Sunderland target Tom Lees.

After just twelve months on Tyneside, it appears that Grant Hanley’s Newcastle United career is over.

According to The Express, The Magpies paid Blackburn Rovers £5.5 million for the Blackburn Rovers captain last summer but, after struggling in an opening day defeat to Fulham, manager Rafael Benitez entrusted him with just a further four starts in Newcastle’s Championship winning campaign.

As such, it’s nothing short of remarkable that Newcastle are about to recoup their outlay. The Mirror claims that Sheffield Wednesday are willing to meet their £5.5 million valuation.

Grant Hanley looks set to be forced out of Newcastle United

With Benitez on the lookout for alternative targets, and the report adding that a deal for Eibar centre-back Florian Lejeune is near completion, the Scotland international is certainly more needed at Hillsborough and at St James’ Park.

Wednesday were short on centre-back’s last season and the Glenn Loovens-Tom Lees partnership that carried The Owls into the play-offs could be broken up this summer.

According to the Daily Mail, there is no shortage of interest in Lees this summer with Wednesday valuing a player they signed on a free from Leeds United two years ago at £5 million.

Ready made replacement?

Therefore, Hanley could arrive as a replacement for one of the Championship’s most consistent defenders. And, intriguingly, Sunderland are one of the sides most heavily linked.

Their new manager, Simon Grayson, handed Lees his chance at Leeds after all and helped him become a first-team regular.

Tom Lees has helped Wednesday reach the play-offs in the last two seasons

And with his Sunderland side crying out for defenders with Lamine Kone heavily tipped to follow Jason Denayer out of the exit this summer, it’s little surprise that a reunion with Lees at the Stadium of Light appeals.

Therefore, with Newcastle doing their bit to soften the blow of losing Lees by selling Wednesday a readymade replacement, they could inadvertently boost their North East neighbours’ hopes of signing a new centre-back this summer.