Sheffield United defender set to spark Premier League transfer war with Wolves and Ipswich circling

Ipswich are set to join Wolves in the battle for Sheffield United defender Anel Ahmedhodzic before the close of the transfer window, TEAMtalk understands.

Portman Road boss Kieran McKenna has been busy in this summer’s transfer window, but he is still keen to bring in a new central defender to bolster his squad.

Luke Woolfenden partnered summer signing Jacob Greaves in central defence in last weekend’s Premier League opener against Liverpool but McKenna wants to add more cover and quality to his defensive options.

Greaves and Woolfenden formed the heart of a defence that kept Liverpool at bay for almost an hour. However, it seems that McKenna still has concerns about the strength in depth among his centre-backs.

Ipswich have a quintet of available central defenders and they are aged between 23 and 28 but they lack top-flight experience. Heading into this campaign, only former Manchester United and Aston Villa man Axel Tuanzebe had even made a Premier League appearance

Ahmedhodzic figures on McKenna’s wanted list as he has Premier League experience from his time in the top flight with Sheffield United last term.

Bosnia and Herzegovina international Ahmedhodzic made 32 top-flight appearances for Sheffield United last season, but could not prevent them from suffering relegation to the Championship.

His Premier League experience and relatively young age make him an attractive prospect for top-flight teams from the mid-table down.

Wolves are also interested in Ahmedhodzic as they see the 25-year-old as an ideal replacement for Max Kilman following his move to West Ham earlier this summer.

Like Ipswich, Wolves suffered an opening weekend defeat to a team expected to challenge for the title, going down 2-0 to Arsenal with Toti Gomes and Yerson Mosquera playing the full 90 minutes at the back. They also have Uruguayan defender Santiago Bueno and veteran Englishman Craig Dawson as cover.

READ MORE – All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2024 transfer window

Premier League ambitions give Sheffield United reason to resist transfer

Sheffield United are reluctant to lose Ahmedhodzic as they look to build a squad capable of winning promotion back to the Premier League, but they are bracing themselves for offers for the defender from his suitors.

Ahmedhodzic has been an important figure in central defence for Sheffield United since signing for the Blades in the summer of 2022. He was one of the stars of their 2022/23 campaign when the side won pr0motion to the Premier League.

Brentford have also shown an interest in the player but they are believed to have moved on to consider the likes of Liverpool fringe player Sepp van den Berg and Burnley’s Dara O’Shea.