Bolton Wanderers, Millwall and Sheffield United will all be playing Championship football next season but who will win the race for Ryan Leonard?
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has made clear that he is prepared to walk away from a deal to bring Ryan Leonard to Bramall Lane this summer, as reported by The Star.
And it appears he is facing up to the prospect of losing out on one of his top summer targets.
The report claims that the Championship-bound Blades, who stormed to promotion by breaking the 100 point barrier in League One last season, had an initial bid rejected for the midfielder by Southend United last week.
And The Shrimpers have now extended Leonard’s contract by a year, making clear that he will not be sold on the cheap.
Choice of three
If United were already facing a tough task attempting to bring the combative 24-year-old to the Steel City, it appears that interest from elsewhere will hardly help their ambitions.
The Star reports that Bolton Wanderers, who finished second behind Wilder’s champions in the season just gone, have also joined the chase for Leonard.
As have Millwall, who will be joining the duo in the second tier last season after edging out Bradford City in the League One Play-Off Final.
If Southend do receive a tempting offer, it appears certain that Leonard, a central midfielder who featured 43 times in the league in 2016/17, will be playing Championship football next season.
However, it appears that Wilder may be forced to accept defeat in his desire to add Leonard to recent additions Nathan Thomas, Ched Evans and Enda Stevens.
Bolton, in particular, may be viewed as an attractive destination with The Trotters on the up again after just one season in the third tier.
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