'There's interest' - Chris Wilder talks down star man transfer to Leeds United as Sheffield United 'size' compared
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has described Championship promotion rivals Leeds United as a 'big club' in his latest correspondence regarding the Whites.
Wilder was speaking ahead of Sheffield United's trip to bottom-of-the-table Luton Town this weekend, specifically in reference to Leeds' summer interest in Gustavo Hamer.
The Blades midfielder has been their star man this season and recently returned from a two-match suspension for picking up 10 yellow cards. He was substituted after 70 minutes on Wednesday night having struggled with an injury throughout their 3-1 win over Middlesbrough, but the issue is not thought to be too severe.
Leeds tested their South Yorkshire neighbours' resolve last summer with a £13 million bid for the ex-Coventry City man, which was turned down by Bramall Lane chiefs.
Wilder maintains that Leeds' interest is unlikely to go away, particularly if the Whites secure promotion back to the top flight.
“I'm sure there's interest from a lot of good clubs and Leeds is a good club, a big club," Wilder said, as quoted by the YEP's sister title the Sheffield Star. "We don't want to lose our best players. We lost one in the summer, which I was disappointed about, and we need to keep our best players and invest in them."
Wilder, though, keen to play down any rumours pertaining to future transfers, says Hamer is 'fully focused' on the task at hand, which is winning promotion with the Blades.
"There's always when the time's right and the numbers are right there has to be conversations.
“But this is not the time for that, and Gus is contributing. He's got his head down and is fully focused. I thought his performance was outstanding on Wednesday night and he's going to be a big player for us in the run-in.”
Sheffield United could leapfrog Leeds into top spot over the weekend as they play before Daniel Farke's men take on Sunderland at Elland Road on Monday night. The Blades currently trail Farke's side by two points and are keeping pace with the league leaders despite Leeds' 14-game unbeaten run in the Championship.