Sheffield Wednesday have offered a new contract to midfielder Barry Bannan, a report from the Daily Mirror has claimed.
Bannan is out of contract at Hillsborough in the summer, meaning at that point he could be free to leave the club for nothing.
However, it seems Wednesday are desperate to avoid that happening, with the latest reports claiming that the Owls have offered Bannan a new contract, in a bid to prevent him leaving the Yorkshire club.
It is thought that the prospective deal the club have pitched to Bannan is a new two-year contract, which would keep the 31-year-old at the club until the end of the 2022/23 season.
For his part, Bannan is said to be open to the prospect of putting pen to paper on a new contract with Wednesday, but only if the club are willing to back manager Tony Pulis in the January transfer window, as they look to drag themselves out of the Championship relegation zone.
Since joining Wednesday from Crystal Palace back in the summer of 2015, Bannan has made a total of 227 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 34 assists during that time.
The Verdict
This looks to be a smart move for Wednesday to make with regards to an offer for Bannan.
If they are able to convince Bannan to sign this new contract, then it will be a big boost for them to keep such an influential and experienced player at the club, which should help them push forward if he stays.
However, it could also be the case that getting this deal done for Bannan proves to be important in the summer transfer window, when, if they do suffer relegation from the Championship, they could then at least secure a decent fee for the midfielder, which would help them cope with the financial blow of dropping down a division.
It will therefore be interesting to see what type of business the Owls do in January, with the extra pressure of convincing Bannan to stay now on them there, alongside the expectation of strengthening their squad, which they will surely have to do if they are to have a chance of avoiding relegation.