Sheffield United are interested in a deal to bring Sam Clucas to Bramall Lane this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a claim made by The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who revealed in a post on Twitter that the Blades are considering a move for the Stoke City midfielder this month, along with a number of other Championship sides.

In what is a rather unusual situation, the 30-year-old is available on a free transfer until July 1st, when he will then become tied to the Potters for a further year.

Jokanovic must move

Having joined Stoke from Swansea City in what was a £6.03m deal back in 2018, Clucas has gone on to establish himself as an important part of Michael O'Neill's first team, chipping in with 16 goals and providing 12 assists over his 100 appearances for the club.

The £33k-per-week midfielder once again impressed over his 24 Championship fixtures last season, scoring two goals, providing three assists and creating two big chances, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles and 1.7 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £2.25m-rated man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Stoke's joint third-best performer in the second tier.

As such, Clucas would appear to be an excellent addition to Slavisa Jokanovic's options in the middle of the park this summer, particularly as the Blades have recently lost the services of John Lundstram - who failed to agree new terms with the club amid links with a move to West Ham United and Rangers.

So, it would seem a very wise move indeed for the 52-year-old United manager to do all he can to land the man Gabriel Agbonlahor dubbed a "quality" player in the coming weeks, especially if he is available on a free transfer - or else risk losing out to one of the Blades' Championship rivals ahead of next season.

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