With the transfer window set to officially open later this week, Sheffield Wednesday will be keen to bolster their squad by securing the services of some classy operators in the coming months.

One of the areas that the Owls will unquestionably need to strengthen is central-defence as they are set to wave goodbye to Chey Dunkley and Sam Hutchinson at the end of June.

Wednesday opted against offering new deals to these two aforementioned players following the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign.

Having missed out on promotion via the play-offs in May, the Owls cannot afford to make mistakes when it comes to recruitment this summer if they are aiming to launch a push for a top-two finish in League One later this year.

Wednesday have already been linked with a host of players in recent weeks.

One of the individuals who has emerged as a potential target is Harlee Dean.

According to Yorkshire Live, Wednesday are interested in re-signing the defender from Birmingham City this summer.

Dean joined the Owls on a temporary deal earlier this year and is believed to be open to the possibility of returning to Hillsborough.

However, there is a stumbling block that Wednesday will need to overcome in order to secure Dean's services as he reportedly earns more than £20,000 per week at Birmingham.

The Owls only paid a small proportion of his salary last year and thus the defender may need to take a pay-cut in order to join the Owls on a full-time basis.

When you consider that Dean produced some assured performances during the second-half of the previous campaign, it could be argued that Wednesday must not hesitate when it comes to this pursuit as he could potentially attract interest from other teams in League One.

In the nine league games that he participated in, the 30-year-old made 1.3 interceptions and 2.1 clearances per fixture whilst he also won 5.9 aerial duels per game (according to WhoScored).

Having averaged an impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.01 in the third-tier, there is every chance that Dean could help the Owls reach new heights in this division later this year.

Dean's arrival could also force the likes of Dominic Iorfa and Liam Palmer, who featured on a host of occasions at centre-back last season, to step up their performance levels which in turn could have a positive impact on Wednesday's fortunes.

Currently surplus to requirements at Birmingham, the defender will be able to prevent his career from stalling if he seals a switch to Hillsborough as he will play regularly for Darren Moore's side next season.