Barnsley defender Michal Helik is closing in on a move back to his home nation of Poland with Lech Poznan, according to a report from Interia Sport.

The Polish champions are believed to have reached an agreement with the Tykes for Helik's services, with a €1.5 million fee set to be paid for the 26-year-old.

Whilst personal terms have not been agreed just yet, a four-year contract is on the table for the centre-back, who missed out on Barnsley's opening match of the League One season this past weekend against Plymouth Argyle with an apparent muscle strain.

The fee for Helik is also set to include an extra €500,000 in potential bonuses, which if triggered would make the defender the record transfer for Poland's top flight.

Helik arrived at Barnsley in 2020 from Cracovia, penning a three-year deal with the South Yorkshire outfit, and in his debut campaign in England his performances led the club to not only a Championship play-off place, but also the award of Player of the Year for Barnsley.

Despite suffering relegation with the Tykes in 2021-22, Helik was named as Players' Player of the Season by his teammates, but with the FIFA World Cup on his mind later in the year, he is set to exit Oakwell for Poznan should he be able to agree personal terms.

The Verdict

Helik has been a solid and reliable figure for Barnsley over the last two years - even in last season's campaign which ended in relegation.

Stats-wise though, Helik was still very high in the rankings when it came to Championship centre-backs, which makes it a surprise that no second tier clubs have been in for him.

If he can agree terms with Poznan though, then it represents a good move for Helik with just a few months to go until the World Cup begins.

Helik will be swapping League One football for a potential crack at the UEFA Conference League as well if Poznan can navigate their way through the qualifying rounds, so on a personal level, it would be a great move for his career.