Sheffield United's recruitment team will be looking at the possibility of retaining centre-back Filip Uremovic beyond the summer in the coming days and weeks, according to The Star.

The 24-year-old arrived in March after suspending his contract at Rubin Kazan, something he was able to do following a change in FIFA's rules after Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

With that, he was given the freedom to sign for the Blades for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign, though he has only made three league appearances so far and has been an unused substitute four times.

 

 

Despite his omissions from the starting lineup, Paul Heckingbottom's men are thought to be keen on extending his stay at Bramall Lane, though it remains to be seen whether they would need to pay a fee for his services with the war in Ukraine ongoing at this point.

The possibility of getting a longer-term deal over the line is something the recruitment team will be looking at according to the Sheffield Star, with those officials at Bramall Lane yet to be discharged for the summer period.

As per this same report, Rubin Kazan are thought to be angry with the defender's decision to make the temporary switch to South Yorkshire despite the ongoing situation, although it's currently unclear whether that will boost United's chances of recruiting him once more in the coming months.

The Verdict:

Quite a few second-tier teams this season have suffered injury problems at centre-back and those who operate with a back three have suffered the most, with West Bromwich Albion even needing to recruit Kean Bryan back in September.

Birmingham City were even forced to revert to a back four and the Blades have suffered their own injury troubles at the back, leaving them short of options at times, though they have dealt with this admirably.

But with Chris Basham's contract expiring at the end of the campaign and Charlie Goode returning to Brentford, they may need to recruit at least a couple of centre-backs and this is where Uremovic could come in handy if he's available.

Already having international experience under his belt and settling into life at Bramall Lane already, he could be a good addition but it remains to be seen whether they could afford him if they need to purchase him from Kazan.

Not exactly spending heavily in the past 12 months, they may not fork out the amount needed to make this deal permanent under their current owners, though some supporters will remain hopeful of a deal materialising.