Update provided regarding situation of Sheffield United’s out-of-contract players

Sheffield United have yet to release their retained list due to the fact that contract negotiations with players are currently ongoing, according to The Star.

While it is understood that the vast majority of the club’s out-of-contract players now know what the future holds, there are still some individuals who are holding talks with the Blades over fresh terms.

Some of the members of the Blades’ squad have appearance-based clauses included in their existing deals, which would be automatically triggered if they reached certain criteria during the 2022/23 season.

These individuals will remain on the books at Bramall Lane for another 12 months.

Not all of United’s players have this clause embedded into their existing deals, and thus there is still uncertainty regarding what the future will hold for them.

What has Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah said about the club’s current squad of players?

Making reference to the Blades’ current group of players, owner Prince Abdullah recently revealed that he is keen to keep the squad intact.

Speaking to Sheffield United’s YouTube channel (as cited by Yorkshire Live), the United owner said: “We want to keep if we can all the squad we have and we don’t want to sell any of our star players.”

As it stands, Billy Sharp, Wes Foderingham, Oliver Norwood, Enda Stevens, Jon Fleck, Jack Robinson, Jack O’Connell, Ben Osborn, Oliver McBurnie and Ismaila Coulibaly’s deals are set to expire in June.

The Blades do possess an option to extend the stays of Coulibaly, Fleck and Norwood for another year.

Will Sheffield United achieve a relative amount of success in the Premier League with their current squad of players?

Set to play in the top-flight later this year following their promotion to this division from the Championship, the Blades will need to add to their squad this summer regardless of what the future holds for their out-of-contract players.

Whereas the likes of Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye will fancy their chances of making a positive impact in the Premier League later this year, United boss Paul Heckingbottom knows that he will need to nail his recruitment.

The departure of players who have made a limited impact for the Blades in recent times will free up some money from the club’s wage bill which could be used to sign individuals who possess Premier League experience.

With the transfer window set to open next month, it would not be at all surprising if United release their retained list imminently.