Sheffield United have joined the race to sign Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer.
The 21-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Middlesbrough, helping the club reach the Championship play-offs.
The club’s defeat to Coventry City meant another season in England’s second tier, and it resulted in Archer returning to Aston Villa this summer.
It seemed likely the young forward was going to remain with the Premier League side this summer, but according to Yorkshire Live that might not be the case as Sheffield United are one of a number of teams keen on signing the Villa man.
Middlesbrough’s stance on Cameron Archer
Boro managed to beat off a number of Championship sides that wanted to sign Archer in the January transfer window, as he chose to play for Michael Carrick’s side, a move that proved to be a wise decision for both the player and the North East club.
Archer scored 11 times and provided six assists in 23 appearances for the Teessiders, which resulted in him becoming a key player as Carrick’s side reached the play-offs.
The defeat in the play-offs, which means another season in the Championship, looked as though it meant any deal to re-sign Archer this summer looked difficult to achieve.
However, it was reported in July by The Northern Echo, that Boro would love to do a deal that sees Archer return to the football club.
But, then Boro looked to have been left disappointed, as Villa’s manager Unai Emery told reporters that Archer would have a role to play at the club in the 2023/24 season, as Emery wanted options to help Ollie Watkins.
Do Aston Villa want to sell Cameron Archer?
However, a few weeks on and it now seems Villa’s stance on the young forward has completely changed.
According to The Athletic, the Premier League side are open to selling Archer this summer, which gives Middlesbrough a glimmer of hope.
Archer is contracted at Villa Park until the summer of 2027, which puts Aston Villa in a very strong position when it comes to negotiating. It was even reported back in May, by The Sun, that any interested side may have to spend £20 million to sign the forward.
The report from The Athletic states there are a number of teams interested in the 21-year-old, and it now seems one of them is newly promoted side Sheffield United.
