Sheffield Wednesday manager Steve Bruce wants the club to reduce the asking prices of Jordan Rhodes, Fernando Forestieri, and Lucas Joao so all three can be sold this summer, according to a report from the Sun on Sunday (23/6; page 60).

The Owls boss will likely be looking to make some improvements to his squad during his first full transfer window in charge.

Bruce took the Hillsborough job at the beginning of January and after leading Wednesday to a 12th-place finish, will probably be targeting a play-off finish in the 2019/20 campaign.

It appears the 58-year-old has targeted a clearout of his squad this summer, with seven players released already and one leaving on a free transfer.

Those eight may be quickly followed by Rhodes, Forestieri and Joao as the Sun on Sunday (23/6; page 60) has reported Bruce is eager for the three attacking players to be sold this summer.

The trio have made nearly 300 combined appearances for the Owls, scoring 76 goals between them but it seems their days are numbered at the Yorkshire club.

The Verdict

On the surface, it looks like a bold call from the Wednesday boss to look to sell three attacking players who scored a combined 35 goals last season but the club should be able to replace their contributions.

Despite the goals they contributed, they don't seem like players Bruce is keen on and not one of the three made more than 20 starts or played more than 1,000 minutes last season.

All three are younger than 30 and having shown they have the quality to be an asset in the Championship should still return some money to be reinvested into the squad.

If the club are able to clear out some players Bruce doesn't want moving and finance the arrival of some players he does, it would be a great bit of business.