The summer transfer window has now re-opened and clubs across Europe will be looking to strengthen their squads ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Although the Championship represents the second tier in English football, it is renowned for being extremely competitive and currently ranks sixth overall in the Opta Power Rankings.
A plethora of highly-rated players and experienced professionals strutted their stuff in the Championship last season, but some of those stars may now be seeking a fresh challenge and could be on the move in the coming weeks and months.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at five players from the Championship who may leave their current clubs during the summer transfer window.
Sheffield United's Gustavo Hamer on May 12, 2025
Gustavo Hamer, the 2024-25 Championship Player of the Year, scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in 44 league appearances for Sheffield United, but he was unable to help the Blades prevail in the playoff final, losing out in painful fashion to Sunderland by a 2-1 scoreline.
With or without Chris Wilder at the helm, Sheffield United will likely be braced to receive offers for Hamer after missing out on promotion to the Premier League, with the 27-year-old seemingly open to challenging himself at a higher level as he enters the prime years of his career.
Hamer recorded four goals and seven assists in his debut campaign as a Premier League player two seasons ago, and the Brazilian midfielder has recently been linked with Championship winners Leeds United and David Moyes’s Everton ahead of the new season.
Norwich City's Borja Sainz on September 28, 2024
Another player who elevated his game to new heights last season was Borja Sainz, who narrowly missed out on winning the Championship Golden Boot after scoring 18 goals in 41 games, just one strike behind Leeds striker Joel Piroe (19).
Sainz excelled in a Canaries side that finished 13th in the second-tier standings and the left-sided attacker is understood to have caught the eye of a number of top European clubs ahead of the new campaign.
Sky Sports News claims that Norwich have already rejected Porto's opening bid of £12.7m for the 24-year-old Spaniard, while Serie A champions Napoli have also held talks with the Canaries over a possible summer deal.
A move to La Liga outfit Athletic Bilbao has also been mooted for Sainz, who has just 12 months remaining on his contract at Carrow Road, and they may decide to step up their interest if they agree to sell in-demand attacker Nico Williams.
Coventry City's Jack Rudoni on May 13, 2025
Coventry City are under no immediate pressure to part ways with star midfielder Jack Rudoni, who only joined the club last summer for around £5m from Huddersfield Town and enjoyed an impressive debut campaign for the Sky Blues, recording 10 goals and 13 assists in 45 league games.
No Championship player produced more crosses than Rudoni (289), while he also ranked third for assists (12) and fourth for key passes (78) in the division.
The 24-year-old still has four-year left on his contract at Coventry and may be keen to continue developing under head coach Frank Lampard, a legendary midfielder in his playing days who was appointed in November last year.
However, the prospect of joining a Premier League club may be too good to turn down for Rudoni, who has been linked with the likes of Newcastle United and Leeds in recent weeks.
Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney pictured on May 3, 2025
Another highly-rated midfielder who could be on the move this summer is Hayden Hackney, who seems destined for a Premier League transfer after a standout 2024-25 campaign with boyhood club Middlesbrough.
The 22-year-old, who has been on the books at Boro since 2011, chipped in with five goals and three assists in 43 Championship appearances for a side that secured a top-10 finish and narrowly missed out on a playoff spot.
Hackney, who primarily operates as a deep-lying midfielder, made more progressive passes (440) and more passes into the final third (362) than any other player in the Championship, while he also ranked in the top four for passes into the penalty box (72) and through balls (16).
The England Under-21 international was allegedly targeted by Porto in the January transfer window, while Premier League giants Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are understood to have a long-standing interest in the Redcar-born starlet, who has two years left on his contract and is valued at around £20m.
Sheffield Wednesday's Djeidi Gassama on February 21, 2025
After experiencing a challenging first year at Sheffield Wednesday following his move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, Djeidi Gassama made significant progress in the 2024-25 campaign and established himself as a first-team star under head coach Dany Rohl.
Only Josh Windass made as many appearances for the Owls than versatile winger Gassama (47), a skilful, dribbling expert who scored eight Championship goals - the joint second-most of any Wednesday player last season.
With just a year left on his contract at Hillsborough, Gassama’s long-term future at Sheffield Wednesday is uncertain and he is arguably the one player that the Owls could be most vulnerable to losing in the summer, with clubs in England and abroad thought to be keeping tabs on the 21-year-old’s situation.
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