Sheffield United are reportedly planning to offer Town £3 million for central defender Luke Woolfenden.

News of the Blades’ interest in the 21-year-old emerged over the weekend and, according to The Sun, manager Chris Wilder is “ready to pay” £3 million for Woolfenden his scouts having given him rave reviews.

Wilder is also said to be targeting a £7 million move for Anderlecht's Belgium international centre-half Elias Cobbaut.

Academy product Woolfenden is contracted to the Blues until the summer of 2022 with the club having an option for a further season.

Asked about interest in Woolfenden and midfielder Flynn Downes on BBC Radio Suffolk's Life’s a Pitch on Saturday, general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill said Town are keen to hold on to their young players but didn’t entirely rule out their departures.

“Those players that you’ve mentioned, I’m sure they are on other clubs’ radars and lists,” he said.

“The football club doesn’t want to be in a situation to sell our young players, they’re here for us to try and help our club to go forward.

“As [owner] Marcus [Evans] has said and [manager] Paul [Lambert] has come out and said on a number of occasions, if there’s an economic business situation we cannot turn down then we’d have to look at it separately.

“But the plan is we want those young players to be here, along with the senior players to drive the club forward.”

He added that no firm offers had been received: “We’ve had no bids for our players. We’ve had enquiries about whether would we sell, similar to you asking the questions now. They know the good players.

“We’ll have scouts at this game today, we’ll have scouts at every game we play. If they’re playing well, they’re on other clubs’ lists.

“They’re also international players that play for their countries, so they’re on other people’s radars from that side of things.”

Photo: TWTD

Barty added 12:38 - Jan 14 I hope we can keep hold of Luke - he has excellent potential but if we do sell it should be around £10m [ £3m is an insult ]
2

Westy added 12:47 - Jan 14 We need to get out of this league and need to retain our best players to do it. In any case, I would rate the Wolf at more than £3m.
1

tractorboybig added 12:56 - Jan 14 o dear if true he is sold then (3 mil makes good evans bussines sense)
0

DurhamTownFan added 12:59 - Jan 14 Please, someone tell me the last time a player was sold out of league 1 for more than 3million. I want him to stay. I think he would be moving too early if he did go. But you guys saying we should be asking for 10 are ignoring how ME runs this club.
0

BlueandTruesince82 added 12:59 - Jan 14 3 mil plus Ludastrum and you're talking. Or Billy Sharp, finally
0

PackwoodBlue added 13:07 - Jan 14 Note to Mr Evans; Luke Woolfenden current value with ITFC in League 1 2019/20, £3m (for argument sake). Luke Woolfenden value with ITFC in League 1, 2020/21 still £3m (for argument sake). Luke Woolfenden value with ITFC in Championship, 2020/21 £8m (for argument sake). So, why sell now? If we don't go up, his value will remain pretty much the same and he can be sold in the summer. Keep him, and as a key member of a successful promotion winning team and Championship club again, his value will rise and we will get more for him in the summer, or January 2021. Promotion will also bring an increase in revenue to the club that Championship football brings. Selling him now could be the difference in promotion from League 1 or not. Don't cash in at the first opportunity. Keep him!

6

Nazemariner added 13:10 - Jan 14 £3 million would be a right kick in the ging gangs! Can't see it being accepted as Evans has shown previously that he will drive a hard bargain. £7 million and he'll be gone :-(
-1

runaround added 13:12 - Jan 14 Would be silly to sell him now as his value will increase rapidly whether we get promoted or not. Also for his career it's best he actually plays matches which he won't currently do at Sheffield United
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BlueandTruesince82 added 13:13 - Jan 14 TBF Evans has never been afraid to turn down big money bids. We all applauded him for knocking back 8 mil for Didz then crucified him for not selling when he turned into sick note
2

Michael101 added 13:15 - Jan 14 Evan will not sell soldier or downs in till after all next season's tickets have been sold. As per usual
0

Michael101 added 13:16 - Jan 14 Sorry wolfenden.
0

BeattiesBackPocket added 13:21 - Jan 14 @DurhamTownFan Lookman went from Charlton two years ago for 12 million on ‘promise' Delph went from Leeds for 8 million on ‘promise' Britt Assombalonga Sold for 6.5 million on ‘promise' so it appears you're facts are wrong it's normally how week the owner or chairman is and whether they show their hand in that they'll take anything/desperate or not Bristol city didn't budge from their 25 million fee for Webster only a year after we accept 5 million! It doesn't matter what league we're in I get we have to sell sometimes but I'm sick of people sticking up for Evans and his debt when he's not exactly helping by devaluing the club himself and accepting anything!

4

Bluearmy_81 added 13:21 - Jan 14 You give 2 sh it's about the club though Packwood!! 😂🤣
0

Bergholtblue added 13:25 - Jan 14 Oh well! That'll buy the paint for the makeover.
0

EdinburghBlue added 13:28 - Jan 14 first reaction was to laugh, £3 mill not enough! However I had a look at transfermarkt.co.uk at League One transfer records... £3m would make him the 4th most expensive defender bought from our league! Highest... Matt Clarke £3.51m to Brighton 7th... Gareth McAuley £1.71m to Ipswich Maybe £3mill aint so bad?
-3

sotd78 added 13:32 - Jan 14 £10m with a hat full of add ons and this might happen. £3m is a joke - and not a very good one at that. Selling a future Prem regular should fund the running costs of the club for two years minimum. That's the bench mark.
0

blue86 added 13:34 - Jan 14 3 million is nowhere near enough! Maybe 8 million or over! If they continue to progess could be worth 15 million each plus for wolfie or downes. But want them to stay!
1

Len_Brennan added 13:47 - Jan 14 PackwoodBlue has perfectly laid out the best option, & rationale, for dealing with this bid IF it materialises.
0

NorthLondonBlue2 added 13:57 - Jan 14 I suspect that it will be the usual below-market sale price, with a sell-on percentage. Trouble is, we've done this several times now and, whatever the economics for the day-to-day running of the club, we're still struggling to arrest the decline of the Evans era. These deals really don't translate into a material benefit for the club, just the business. That said, I imagine Woolfenden would be delighted with PL wages and fulfilling his potential in the PL. Something that, with Ipswich is at least 1.5 seasons away or even never.

1

Bugs added 14:08 - Jan 14 3 million for a player that has about 20 league 1 appearances is actually a good price. But we would be mad to sell now. When we hopefully get to the championship his value is only going to go in one direction if he continues to develop as he has done. Let's not make the Webster mistake again.
3

braveblue added 14:52 - Jan 14 If Evans sells when we are third in the league it will be the end of any promotion challenge.
0

mathiemagic added 14:59 - Jan 14 The only way selling for a pittance like 3 million would be tolerated is if the clauses were such that the club profited further down the line when he moves on to the likes of Man Utd for Maguire type money. Other than that then they need to up the bid. Sadly however I think that ME will just take what ever is offered.
0

Churchman75 added 15:05 - Jan 14 Wilder, multiply that by 5 plus a sell on clause of 20% and Evans will come out of his rabbit warren and talk.....
0

vanmunt added 15:10 - Jan 14 3Mil would suit Evans, not enough to put back in to squad andjust cover some debts. Then any money made on inevitable sell on money just disappears ala Webster. Bunch of mushrooms town fans, love being feed manure.
1

juniorblue added 15:21 - Jan 14 Bluearmy - please stop referring to the rest of the fans as 'mugs'. If that is all you have to say, keep it to yourself.
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