Barnsley are currently recovering from the loss of former manager Valerien Ismael and captain Alex Mowatt after their departures, in what looks set to be a massive season for the South Yorkshire side.

However, they did move quickly to secure a new appointment in Markus Schopp - and his first time in England could bring a few surprises to the Championship next term - something that could work in the Tykes' favour as they look to secure another top-half finish.

This will be a tall order though and with the likes of West Brom, Fulham, Sheffield United, Swansea City and AFC Bournemouth all favourites to win a top-six spot, achieving what they did last season with their fifth-place finish looks nearly impossible.

But they will be hoping to use this momentum from last year to make a positive start in this campaign.

In the Championship, anything can happen and in their quest to build on a successful 2020/21 season, they are currently on the search for a defender to bolster their backline and have seemingly found the target they want to pursue with Sunderland full-back Callum McFadzean reportedly on their radar.

 

 

What do we know so far?

An update on the Sky Sports Transfer Centre blog on Saturday afternoon revealed the Tykes and Championship rivals Luton Town are in talks with the 27-year-old.

McFadzean was released by the Black Cats after not being offered fresh terms but made a respectable 33 appearances in all competitions at the Stadium of Light last season.

The former Sheffield United player joined Sunderland on a free transfer last October after his deal at then-League Two outfit Plymouth Argyle expired and could now move up another tier if this move is successful.

With the 27-year-old being brought through the youth system at the Blades and not the Black Cats, no compensation would need to be paid, making this a cheap deal to conclude for Barnsley if a sensible wage package can be negotiated.

Is it likely to happen?

This all depends on the speed of their recruitment team, because Luton Town and Barnsley are two very good options for McFadzean.

Why? Because both are well-run financially and both Championship clubs seem to be on the rise, making it a difficult choice for the 27-year-old if he has these two options on the table.

The left-back is likely to jump at the chance of moving up a tier so if it wasn't for Luton, this deal would almost certainly have gone through for Markus Schopp's side by now.

But if they move quickly enough, expect this contract agreement to come soon as the Austrian manager looks to get as many new signings settled in as possible before their opening league game next month.