Sheff Utd renew push for key Prem centre-back who is clearly unwanted by his own club

Sheffield United are planning a new move for Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall this summer, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Worrall is currently on loan at Turkish club Besiktas after seeing a potential move to the fall of the Blades in January.

The 27-year-old impressed during his time at Besiktas, making eight appearances and scoring one goal during his time in Turkey.

It remains to be seen whether they will make the move permanent this summer, with the defender set to return to England at the end of his loan to consider his future.

Forest were happy to loan Worrall to Besiktas as he has been in fine form at the City Ground and looks unlikely to feature in Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans again next season.

Indeed, fellow centre-backs Murillo, Moussa Niakhate, Willy Boly and Andrew Omobamidele have all played north of 1,000 minutes this season and even if the former departs – with reports suggesting it is likely – the others should still be around above Worrall in the pecking order. .

Open Forest for sale Worrall

Forest are expected to be open to offloading the defender permanently this summer as any sale would represent pure profit due to Worrall’s homegrown status and boost their profit and sustainability figures.

Their improvement is one of the reasons Murillo and Morgan Gibbs-White’s futures at the club appear to be in jeopardy, given that marketable assets have played out this term.

Sheffield United Boss Chris Wilder is understood to be a big admirer of Worrall and sees him as a key addition to his plans for the next as he looks to rebuild his Bramall Lane side after relegation from the Premier League.

Defensive reinforcements are a key priority for Wilder after Sheffield United set an unwanted record for conceding the most goals in Premier League history with 101 conceded in 37 games so far this term.

With Chris Basham – who has made eight Premier League appearances this season as part of 394 during his time at Bramall Lane – confirmed to leave the club this summer, there will be an added need to ensure that the central defender position is not left easy.

READ MORE: Premier League draft: One player for each club could sign this summer as the NFL draft extravaganza begins