Sheffield United manager Slavisa Jokanovic will not relentlessly push for Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney's signature this summer, according to the Sheffield Star.
Both sides are now back in the Championship after their relegation last season and the 30-year-old might be willing to make the sideways move to rejoin former Whites' boss Jokanovic, who enjoyed a promotion together at Craven Cottage during the 2017/18 season.
As per the same Sheffield Star report, the Blades are unlikely to splash the cash this summer even if midfielder Sander Berge makes a £35m move to an interested top flight side this summer, potentially reducing the chances of the South Yorkshire side of securing Cairney's signature with the midfielder being valued at a reported £10m.
However, with Scott Parker set to leave the West London side, United could potentially launch a tempting bid for the Scotsman with no manager in place and lure Cairney to Bramall Lane as Jokanovic's first sign.
But despite the fact both the Fulham midfielder and the Sheffield United boss 'would welcome the prospect of working together again', the Blades may not pursue the 30-year-old any further if any initial interest is rebuffed by his current club.
The Verdict:
The EFL's profit and sustainability rules have hampered multiple Championship sides in the past few seasons and the Blades seem to have learnt from that, adopting a more conservative transfer approach than many would have expected.
But Sander Berge's likely sale does go through, the second tier side could potentially use a chunk of that money to bring in Cairney and make a few shrewd moves for a few young players.
Sheffield United's focus must not only be on the upcoming season, even with how important it is, but also the next five years or so and the Blades will be able to do a lot of business with £35m in their pocket.
The Cairney/Jokanovic duo could go a long way in firing Sheffield United back to the Premier League, but with this signing only likely to be for the medium term considering Cairney's age, they would need to agree a figure that's less than the £10m currently being reported.