Sheffield United reignite transfer interest in AFC Bournemouth man | OneFootball

Mepham is of interest to the Blades despite their agonising promotion miss

Sheffield United have reignited their interest in AFC Bournemouth centre-back Chris Mepham, who was part of the Sunderland side which defeated the Blades at Wembley last weekend.

The 47-time Welsh international was an impressive figure at the Stadium of Light and came on as an early replacement for Luke O'Nien in North London against Chris Wilder's side, with the Black Cats' dramatic turnaround consigning United to a second successive campaign in the Championship.

Plenty of change is expected at Bramall Lane across a critical off-season period, which could include the managerial position, amid recent reports which state that the boyhood Blade's fate could be decided in the coming days.

And, despite the majority of such change focusing on high-profile departures at present, the South Yorkshire club are keen to add the 27-year-old's experience to their ranks after previously missing out.

Sheffield United reignite Chris Mepham interest after previous transfer miss

According to Alan Nixon, the Blades have reignited their interest in the Bournemouth man having been a key target for the club on two previous occasions.

Links between the London-born man and the Steel City outfit initially surfaced in January 2024 - shortly after Wilder was reinstated in the hotseat - before United, alongside Celtic, were linked once more following the club's relegation from the Premier League amid reports that his parent club would demand a fee of £8m.

Mepham moved to the Vitality Stadium from Brentford in January 2019 for a £12m sum, and is currently out-of-contract with the South Coast side at the end of the month.

It has been reported by the Sunderland Echo that his deal is likely to be extended as Andoni Iraola's outfit look to recoup some of the aforementioned eight-figure fee for his services, as well as potentially making his way back into the Spaniard's plans after Bournemouth enjoyed a record-breaking top-flight campaign with an accumulation of 56 points, finishing ninth in the table.

Chris Wilder hoping for Sheffield United backing amid managerial uncertainty

Nixon's report also states that Wilder is hoping for continued backing from United's American ownership group, COH Sports, who are preparing for their first full season in the S2 boardroom, and have already revealed that a data-driven approach will be taken when conducting transfer business.

The 57-year-old received ample backing in January with the addition of Tom Cannon, as well as high-profile loan moves in the form of Hamza Choudhury, Harry Clarke, Rob Holding and Ben Brereton-Diaz.

Three of the aforementioned quintet have all returned to their parent club, with a reshuffle expected in the United defence as links to Queens Park Rangers ace, Jimmy Dunne, have also resurfaced, although the Hoops are currently locked in contract talks with the versatile defender as stated in their retained/released list.

Mepham also stated in March that he would be "open" to a permanent move to Sunderland this summer, which makes for an intriguing potential transfer battle, with ESTIMATED