One of the more likely Sheffield Wednesday transfer stories of the summer is close to coming to fruition.
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles is expected to close-out a move back to Manchester City after continued discussions between the two clubs on Thursday, The Star understands.
The talented Northern Ireland number one has been the source of heavy interest from a number of clubs as he has been in previous transfer windows and is set to make a return to the club from which he was released as a teenager, with the expectation of all parties that a deal will conclude sooner rather than later.
Asked about Charles’ future on Thursday, Wednesday’s new sporting director Simon Wilson made clear the Owls would have liked to have kept hold of their prized academy product but impressed the need for ‘practicality’ in their transfer dealings as the hotly-tipped 20-year-old enters the final year of his contract at Hillsborough. The club are understood to have entered into exploratory contract talks with the youngster since the end of the season, though with Charles’ star rising so rapidly, success on that front always seemed unlikely.
Read More
Wilson said in part: “It comes into that situation where it’s a three-way thing. As soon as we decided we want to keep him, he’s got to want to stay and there might be offers that are out there that we at this moment in time can’t compete with; and that might be salary or it might be level of competition.
“These are young, ambitious guys that want to play at the top of their profession and sometimes you can’t hold people back from that, as much as they might love the club - as Svante did and does. He wanted to go and play at the highest level he can do and you can’t begrudge him for being ambitious. You have to be practical.”
Detail on the fee Wednesday will take for Charles is not yet known. French club Strasbourg came close to taking the stopper in January before a shoulder injury saw him ruled out for several weeks. The Ligue 1 side are believed to have been among a number of other clubs to have rivalled City for his signature - along with clubs in the Premier League. The Star understands that City were not always clear favourites for the signing but appear to have advanced their efforts in the last week.
Continue Reading