Rhian Brewster helped Swansea City reach the Chanpionship Playoffs last season (Getty Images)
According to The Sun (h/t Yorkshire Live), Sheffield United are weighing up a £15million permanent deal to sign Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster this summer.
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Burnley are among the other top-flight clubs to have expressed an interest in securing Brewster’s services on loan but Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has already blocked loan approaches for the youngster. (h/t Yorkshire Live)
Now, as per the report, Chris Wilder’s side are prepared to splash the cash on the 20-year-old after having a loan bid turned down.
Rhian Brewster started his footballing education at Chelsea before switching boats to join PL rivals Liverpool at the youth level. The highly-rated striker impressed for the Reds at U-18 and U-23 levels, which earned him several call-ups to the senior squad for pre-season friendlies.
However, his rapid progress was stalled by a serious injury before Brewster eventually made his professional debut for Liverpool in an EFL Cup tie against MK Dons back in September 2019.
After making a handful of appearances for the Reds in domestic cup competitions, Brewster was loaned out to Championship club Swansea City in January 2020. Having reunited with his former England youth manager Steve Cooper at the Liberty Stadium, the 20-year-old propelled the Swans to the Playoff semi-final, where they eventually lost to Brentford.
Brewster ended his loan spell with an impressive tally of 11 goals in 22 league games for Swansea, sending out a strong message that he is ready to deliver on his massive potential in the Premier League.
The youngster has continued to fire on all cylinders since returning from his loan spell in South Wales. Brewster recently scored in Liverpool’s 3-0 pre-season win over Stuttgart before netting a brace to inspire a 2-2 comeback draw for the PL champions.
Sheffield United secured a 9th-place finish on their return to the Premier League last season, scoring 39 goals and conceding an equal number in the process.
The Blades earned plenty of plaudits for their defensive organisation and discipline at the back and were very much in contention for a top-four finish following the restart.
However, their inability to score enough goals ultimately worked against them as the Yorkshire club faltered in the race for European football. In fact, the Blades’ finished the 2019-20 PL campaign with the joint second-worst scoring record in the division outside the relegated trio of Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich City.
Wilder has every reason to be disappointed with those numbers, considering that a large fraction of the club’s outlay last summer was set aside to bolster the striking department.
The likes of Oliver Mcburnie, Lys Mousset, and Callum Robinson were all roped in as new signings but the trio shared only 13 goals among them, with the latter spending the second half of the previous campaign out on loan at West Brom in the Championship.
David McGoldrick (2) and Billy Sharp (3) occasionally chipped in with crucial strikes but Sheffield United just didn’t do enough in front of goal to capitalize on the solid platform laid down by their defenders.
Suffice to say, Sheffield United need to improve on their dismal scoring record if they are to challenge for a top-six finish in the Premier League next season and taking a punt on Rhian Brewster could be a smart piece of business for the Blades.
Brewster went out on loan to Swansea with very little professional experience under his belt but passed the test with flying colours, scoring at an impressive strike rate of a goal every alternate game.
Moreover, he delivered the goods at a very crucial stage of the campaign when Swansea were struggling to qualify for the playoffs, thus showcasing his tough character, strong mentality, and resilience as a young striker.
The 20-year-old hasn’t played in the PL before but his exploits in the Championship suggest that he is ready to make the step up to the elite level of English football.
Rhian Brewster is still very much in the developmental phase of his career and has his best years ahead of him. That being said, Sheffield United shouldn’t hesitate to fork out a sizable fee for the former U-17 World Cup winner as he could be pivotal to their long-term success in the Premier League.