Sheffield United CEO Stephen Bettis remains open to the possibility of facing a situation similar to the one involving Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye when the next transfer window opens in January. He acknowledges the pragmatic nature of football. Currently, 14 players are in the final year of their contracts, and negotiations have commenced with some of them.
The club found themselves in a challenging position last month with Ndiaye and Berge, both of whom were eventually sold due to contract disputes. This decision was a calculated move to avoid losing their star players for free, and those funds were reinvested in the team.
As the new year approaches, Sheffield United could encounter a similar scenario if players with expiring contracts attract transfer interest. Notably, players like Daniel Jebbison and Oli McBurnie are targets for contract extensions, having garnered interest from other clubs in recent months.
Among those in the final 12 months of their contracts are Jordan Amissah, Jayden Bogle, Ismaila Coulibaly, Max Lowe, Ben Osborn, Wes Foderingham, John Egan, Adam Davies, Chris Basham, George Baldock, Oliver Norwood, and John Fleck.
The club’s hope is that successful negotiations will secure the future of players they want to retain beyond this season. Nevertheless, Bettis acknowledges that, if talks do not proceed as planned, they may need to make decisions similar to those made with Berge and Ndiaye.
