Ben Brereton Diaz is back at Southampton after a season on loan at Derby County. His long-term future on the south coast looks far from settled.
The 27-year-old played the first half of a recent 1-0 friendly win over Eintracht Braunschweig. Doubts hang over whether he stays past this summer.
A reunion the Blades keep chasing
Sheffield United want him again. The Blades are considering an approach to re-sign Brereton Diaz, according to reporting in Sheffield.
He knows the place well. Two loan spells at Bramall Lane came in the back half of 2023/24 and again the following season.
The pull makes some sense on recent form. At Derby last term, Brereton Diaz managed seven goals and three assists, and The Rams may yet be back for the Chilean marksman before the summer transfer window closes.
Those are respectable Championship figures, but they would hardly fix a Sheffield United side that finished 13th and got through two managers last season.
The wisdom of a return looked thin when the idea first went round in late May. Little has changed since to make it look smarter.
Southampton set the price
For the Saints, the interest helps in one way. Brereton Diaz has not worked out at the club.
A sale would free money to spend elsewhere.
He joined from Villarreal in 2024 for around £7 million. Fifteen appearances later, he is still without a goal for Southampton.
There is also the question of fit. Brereton Diaz is neither an out-and-out striker nor a natural left winger, which makes a starting place in Tonda Eckert's front line hard to picture.
The forward has scored plenty at this level before, with 64 Championship goals to his name. Another 26 assists have come across 270 games in the division.
None of that has carried into a Saints shirt, which is why one view in late May had him as the first player to move on this summer.
Under contract until June 2028, Brereton Diaz hands Southampton control of any deal, from the asking price to the buyer.
The Saints begin 2026/27 in the Championship with a four-point deduction, after being thrown out of last season's play-off final over spygate. Every pound from a summer sale would help the promotion push.
A sale would suit everyone, though only on Southampton's terms. Sheffield United can ask.
The fee and the final say belong to the Saints.
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