Former Derby County captain Tom Lawrence previously remained keen on joining Sheffield United despite receiving offers from other teams in the Championship, some of whom offered a more attractive wage package than the Blades did according to The Star.

The 28-year-old always looked likely to leave the Rams following their relegation to the third tier, with their former skipper enjoying a successful campaign personally despite his side's fall with 11 goals and five assists in 38 league appearances during 2021/22.

He wasn't short of interest from other sides either with AFC Bournemouth previously believed to have been sniffing around as well as second-tier sides Watford and West Bromwich Albion.

However, the Express and Star ruled out a move for the Welshman and this seemingly put the Blades in pole position to secure his signature with Paul Heckingbottom's side previously confident of securing his services.

But Scottish Premiership side Rangers swooped and hijacked this move with the offer of a better salary and the chance to play European football next season, with his switch to Ibrox officially being confirmed yesterday.

If it wasn't for the Gers though, a move to Bramall Lane looked likely with Lawrence previously keen to link up with the South Yorkshire side.

The Verdict:

The chance to join the Blades must have been exciting because Heckingbottom's side seem to be on their way up and have a real chance of being involved in the promotion mix again next season.

They may have lost Morgan Gibbs-White - but they Sander Berge who could potentially come in and fill that void well with some of their most important players including Chris Basham and John Egan remaining at the club.

With the addition of more fresh faces, that could help Heckingbottom to put his stamp on his first-team squad following a reasonably quiet and low-spending January transfer window earlier this year.

At this stage, there aren't too many teams in the second tier that are as well equipped for promotion, even with the limited spending power they had in previous windows.

And with Lawrence now 28, it's slightly surprising that he hasn't aimed for a return to the top flight with the South Yorkshire outfit, even with European football on offer north of the border.