Sheffield United have lined up a successor to Vini Souza with a loan agreement closing in on completion, according to a report.
The Brazilian midfielder was sold to the German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg earlier this month, with local reports suggesting that The Blades received a £13 million fee for their star midfielder. Whilst the club have looked at alternatives since the arrival of new boss Ruben Selles, including a failed move for Stoke City’s Wouter Burger, they have failed to secure a new option until now.
Loan Move Lined Up
According to reports from Portuguese paper Record, Sheffield United are closing in on a loan move for SC Braga’s Djibril Soumare, with the 22-year-old joining on an initial guaranteed €1.1 million fee (£952,000). Should the Bramall Lane side secure promotion this season following their near miss at Wembley in the playoff final, the loan would become a permanent move, and the Championship side would have to fork out an additional €8.5 million (£7.35 million).
Soumare was left out of Braga’s squad for their pre-season game against La Liga side Celta Vigo, with the Senegalese international once again being overlooked by the northern Portuguese club, who finished fourth in the top flight last season. However, Soumare played no part in that campaign, instead being loaned to Madeira side Nacional, who finished fourteenth in their first campaign back in the Liga Portugal.
With just 27 senior appearances to his name so far in his career, he looks set to join existing options Sydie Peck, Tom Davies and Ollie Arblaster at Sheffield United. He would become the third incoming signing for the club alongside Tyler Bindon from Nottingham Forest and Ehije Ukaki from Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv, but may be beaten to that title by Louie Barry, who is expected to arrive on loan from Aston Villa this week.
Writers’ View
This is a very curious signing for Sheffield United to make. Of course, a loan move comes with a lot less risk for an unknown quantity like Djibril Soumare, but still there will be expectation for him to contribute. Ruben Selles and his scouting department seem convinced by his efforts for Nacional last season across his 25 appearances, but with Ollie Arblaster returning from injury and Sydie Peck becoming a staple of the Blades alongside Vini Souza last season, it is unlikely the 22-year-old will be able to force his way into the starting eleven from the get-go.
