Sheffield United could sign Leeds United man with Blades connection

Sheffield United don’t have to look far if they want to bring in defensive reinforcements this summer - in fact, they can go just 35 miles north. Leeds United’s Charlie Cresswell is set for talks over his imminent future, with the centre-back wanting more regular minutes and his club unable to guarantee them.

The Whites have four senior centre-backs who sit higher up the pecking order than Cresswell, but his five appearances in the Premier League last season provided plenty of promise for a defender set for the top. Leeds won’t want to sell their defender - they see him as a natural successor to club captain Liam Cooper - but the demand for more minutes is likely to make a loan deal a possibility.

The surname Cresswell might ring a bell for Blades fans, with the 19-year-old’s dad Richard having played 141 times for the club during his own career, and a move to Bramall Lane could be the kind of deal that suits all parties. Sheffield boss Paul Heckingbottom - who managed Leeds when a 15-year-old Cresswell was in the academy - is keen to bolster the side’s defence after the departures of Filip Uremovic and Ben Davies.

24-year-old Jake Clarke-Salter is one option, having been released by Chelsea, but looks likely to stay in London and join Queens Park Rangers. Cresswell, meanwhile, fits the bill in South Yorkshire as a young top-flight talent in search of minutes and development. Last season saw both Davies and Morgan Gibbs-White excel on loan from Liverpool and Wolves respectively, and those improvements could be referenced as proof that Bramall Lane is a great option.

Cresswell made his debut for Leeds at home to West Ham, impressing instantly for his composure in coping with Michael Antonio for long periods of the game.