Welcome to The72’s live EFL transfer blog.
The 2022/23 EFL season has come to an end. Well, almost. There’s the play-offs to settle now and they get underway this week, with Coventry City taking on Middlesbrough and Sunderland taking on Luton Town in the Championship play-off semi-finals.
And ahead of the summer transfer window, the transfer rumour mill has started to turn.
Here’s the latest transfer news from the EFL…
8:46am – Manchester City’s Tommy Doyle hints at Sheffield United return
Speaking to the Sheffield Star, the 21-year-old admitted he ‘would love’ to return to Bramall Lane if the opportunity arose.
“Listen, I can’t stand here and say to you what’s going to happen,” he said.
“I love the place and I would love to come back. I’ve got a special bond with the club and the fans so we’ll see what happens. But yes, of course I would love to come back.”
Read the full story.
8:45am – Middlesbrough looking to tie down Sol Brynn future
After spending the 2021/22 campaign in Scotland with Queen of the South, Brynn linked up with Swindon Town last summer. He quickly became a popular figure at the County Ground, keeping a total of 13 clean sheets in 49 games for the League Two club.
Now, as he gears up for a return to his parent club, it has been claimed Boro are keen to secure a new deal for the 22-year-old.
Read the full story.
8:40am – Bristol City in for Lincoln City’s Regan Poole
Bristol City will be looking to kick on next season after taking strides forward under Nigel Pearson in the 2022/23 campaign.
A summer of good recruitment will be key to the Robins’ progress though, and it seems one potential target is already on the radar. The Daily Telegraph reporter McGrath has claimed that Lincoln City skipper Poole is a player of interest to City.
Read the full story.
8:32am – Charlton Athletic leading Birmingham City, Millwall, Derby in Alfie May race
May enjoyed a strong end to the season, scoring six in Cheltenham’s last six outings, having since come onto the radar of a number of Football League teams including Birmingham City, Derby County, Millwall, and Wrexham.
But an emerging report from Gloucestershire Live has revealed that Charlton Athletic are now one of the front-runners in this transfer pursuit. Their report states that The Valley would be a ‘particularly attractive proposition’ for May, whose parents live close by.
Read the full story.
8:21am – Mowbray shares Sunderland summer transfer insight
Speaking to The Northern Echo ahead of the weekend, Mowbray revealed that he and Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman are already looking at potential summer signings, despite not knowing what league they’ll be playing in next season.
Mowbray said:
As I sit here now, the wheels are rolling. They are in motion. It’s good, because the wheels need to move. This year has shown that.
“I’m involved in the recruitment. Kristjaan is coming into my office and we are discussing players. Everything lands on my laptop for me to look at and check – snapshots of players from around the world that we have on our radar. I always give them feedback. I tell them, ‘He’s good, I like this one, I think this one is better than that one’. But, obviously, the conversations will be different depending on what league we’re in next season.”
12:48pm – Norwich City among Championship clubs keen on Derby County’s Eiran Cashin
Norwich City have ‘shown an interest’ in Derby County defender Eiran Cashin, according to journalist Darren Witcoop.
The 21-year-old is a product of Derby’s youth academy and made his senior bow last season in the Championship, playing 18 times and scoring once. Cashin has since gone on to make 43 league appearances this season for the Rams.
Read the full story.
11:40am – Lincoln City among the sides keen on Tranmere Rovers’ Dacres-Cogley.
Lincoln City, Burton Albion and Port Vale are all claimed to be holding interest in the right-back ahead of the transfer window. The Daily Record (Transfers news live, 10/05/23, 11:23) reported that all three League One sides have registered an interest in Dacres-Cogley as he looks to step up a league when his Tranmere Rovers deal expires.
Read the full story.
10:42am – Morgan Fox will be released by Stoke City this summer – previously been linked with Coventry City, Sunderland, West Brom.
The Welshman’s exit is perhaps the most surprising name set to be released by Stoke City this summer. He featured 40 times in the 2022/23 Championship campaign and was a consistent performer for the Potters in what was his third season at the club.
Back in March of this year, reports emerged claiming that Coventry City, Sunderland, and West Brom were among the Championship sides keen on signing Fox this summer, and now with Fox officially becoming a free agent, the race to sign him this summer could quickly heat up.
Read the full story.
10:13am – Norwich City have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Burnley’s Ashley Barnes.
Barnes, 33, sees his Burnley contract expire next month. The striker played an important role for Burnley during their title-winning 2022/23 campaign, featuring 39 times in the league and scoring six goals.
Ahead of his contract expiry next month, a number of Championship clubs have been linked including Hull City, Preston North End, Stoke City, and Norwich City.
But it’s the Canaries who look set to sign Barnes this summer, with Football Insider reporting that the Canaries have ‘reached a full agreement’ with the striker, with a deal ‘set to be finalised soon’.
Read the full story.
9:29am – Iliman Ndiaye is reportedly set to stay with Sheffield United next season.
Ndiaye helped to fire Sheffield United to promotion from the Championship this season. He featured in all 46 of his side’s league games in 2022/23, scoring 14 and assisting 10 more as Paul Heckingbottom’s side finished in 2nd place of the table.
The Senegalese international has had top flight suitors throughout this season, but recent reports have credited Tottenham Hotspur with a strong interest in the 23-year-old, with Everton also said to have retained an interest after failing to sign him in January.
Read full story.
9:09am – Wolves leading race to sign Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Gyokeres has a host of suitors in the Premier League, but the race for his signature seems to be boiling down to a few teams in Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, West Ham, and Wolves.
Previous reports had revealed that Wolves were pushing the hardest to sign Gyokeres in the summer, who Coventry value in excess of £20million. And Sky Sports has now revealed that Wolves are leading the race to sign Gyokeres in the summer transfer window, but also that Wolves need to sell some players before they can bring in any new ones.
Read the full story.
8:35am – Stoke City boss Alex Neil keen on a potential reunion with Preston North End’s Daniel Johnson.
Stoke City will be hoping a summer of fruitful recruitment can set them up for a long-awaited push for promotion. The door has swung open for players to leave after the confirmation of their retained list on Wednesday, leaving many free to search for pastures new.
Neil managed the Jamaican international during his time in charge of North End and now, reporter Witcoop has said the Stoke boss is still a big fan of the former Aston Villa man as he nears the end of his contract at Deepdale.
Read the full story.
8:08am – Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Ipswich Town are all keen on Ross County’s Yan Dhanda.
Dhanda is a name that might be familiar with EFL fans after he spent four years on the books with Swansea City from 2018 to 2022. The ex-Liverpool talent played 63 times for the Swans, netting five goals and providing eight assists.
Upon his release last summer, he headed north to Ross County, where he has made a good impression. Playing as an attacking midfielder or left-winger, Dhanda has managed three goals and nine assists in 31 games this season.
The Sun claims Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Ipswich Town are all keeping tabs on the 24-year-old. A fee of £400,000 is cited for Dhanda, who will enter the final 12 months of his contract with Ross County this summer after penning a two-year deal upon arrival.
Read the full story.