Sheffield United look set to lose a key cog in their midfield machine as a Bundesliga giant is reportedly preparing a bid for Vinicius Souza, according to Venê Casagrande on X.
Casagrande was the journalist who broke the news of Souza joining the Blades two years ago.
Move To Germany Imminent
Souza is being tipped to make a move to the Bundesliga in the coming days and join the 2009 champions VFL Wolfsburg in a €15 million deal.
The Lower Saxony outfit could only manage an 11th-place finish in Germany’s top flight and new boss Paul Simonis is looking to build and get the club back into the upper echelons of German football.
What Does This Mean For The Blades?
Souza had a difficult introduction to English football, signing for the Bladesmen from Belgian side Lommel after a loan spell at KV Mechelen.
The Brazilian went into a side that had just gained promotion to the Premier League and would suffer a disastrous season. The men from the Steel City managed just three wins and 16 points from their 38 matches.
Souza has turned around his form and fortunes this season and the 26-year-old has grown into a vital part of what United do.
The former Brazil Under-20 International provided defensive stability and allowed his teammates to play in the forward areas. He kept the ball moving and kept possession (a passing accuracy of over 87%), won 73 tackles, 230 duels and made 35 interceptions.
Souza’s departure has been widely reported since the Blades failed to gain promotion to the Premier League after losing to Sunderland in the playoff final. New manager Ruben Selles has been linked with a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Tommy Doyle but would need to enter the transfer market again if Souza were to leave.
As it stands, the responsibility of replacing Souza will fall on Tom Davies and Sydie Peck. Davies, the former Everton midfielder, managed just 13 Championship appearances last term while Peck impressed over his 42 outings but is just 20 years of age.
Writer’s View
Losing Souza will be a blow to Sheffield United’s promotion hopes and the fee of €15 million seems rather low and will hardly provide the Blades with a transfer kitty to replace the Brazilian.
This departure is hardly unexpected and Blades fans will be hopeful that the hierarchy at their club has contingency plans in place already, not just for Souza but also the likes of Gustavo Hamer.
