Sheffield United to axe Leicester loanee with Blades ‘close’ to securing deal for former Blackburn man
Leicester defender Luke Thomas during loan with Sheffield United
TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal that Sheffield United are set to cut short the loan spell of Leicester City defender Luke Thomas to free up space in their squad for new signings.
Chris Wilder is keen to bolster his squad during this month’s transfer window as he aims to drag the Yorkshire club out of the relegation zone.
Thomas joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan deal in the summer following Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League.
The 22-year-old left-back featured regularly under former Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom – making nine starts under the coach – but has found himself out of favour since his dismissal last month.
Thomas has started just one of Wilder’s first six games in charge since his return to Bramall Lane as Heckingbottom’s replacement.
Wilder is keen to bolster his side in the January window and with funds stretched at Bramall Lane and TEAMtalk sources have confirmed that he is ready to sacrifice Thomas to free up another loan spot in his squad.
The manager has a number of interesting targets on his transfer shortlist, with Villarreal attacker Ben Brereton Diaz – who left Blackburn Rovers in the summer – among those he admires.
Transfer journalist Alex Crook reported earlier today that Sheffield United are ‘close’ to signing Brereton Diaz on loan. They are also keen on bringing former Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel back to the Premier League.
As for Thomas, the England U21 international is expected to return to the Foxes after this weekend’s FA Cup third-round tie against Gillingham.
Leicester could be open to sending Thomas out again on loan elsewhere in January as the defender is going to find it hard to break into Enzo Maresca’s starting XI.
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