Wigan Athletic have confirmed within their retained list that they have made the offer of a new contract to forward Joe Dodoo as they aim to keep hold of him for next season.

Dodoo enjoyed a promising period with the Latics in League One this season with the forward managing to fire in four goals and provide three assists in his 20 league appearances to help the club survive the drop. The forward was due to be out of contract in the summer and that has seen him emerge on the radar of a few clubs ahead of the transfer window.

It has been reported that Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Ipswich Town could potentially be interested in making a move for Dodoo this summer. That comes with the trio of clubs having been impressed with the attacker’s contribution to Wigan’s survival bid in the third tier this season. It means there could be a lot of competition for his signature if he becomes available.

However, Wigan have now confirmed that as expected they have made an offer to Dodoo to try and extend his stay with the club beyond the summer transfer window. That means that they could have a chance of keeping hold of the 25-year-old heading into next term and he now faces a difficult decision over his long-term future.

The verdict

This is a real potential blow to Sheffield Wednesday and their hopes of securing a move for Dodoo this summer. If the forward opts to sign a new deal with Wigan then it would likely mean they would have to move on to other targets and try and identify alternative players to help strengthen their attacking options ahead of their first season back in League One.

Dodoo would be a good signing for the Owls considering where they are going to be playing next term, the forward has shown he is a real threat in the third tier and he is someone that would provide extra goals scoring potential upfront. These are the sorts of players that they are going to have to try and target now to give Darren Moore the best chance of keeping them up.

The 25-year-old will need to decide whether his long-term future is best served to stay with Wigan, or making a move to somewhere like Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls are likely to be a major attraction for players like Dodoo this summer and that means that despite the offer of a new deal his future is still far from certain.