Sheffield United trigger one-year contract extension for John Lundstram after impressive season

Sheffield United have triggered John Lundstram’s one-year contract extension to keep him at Bramall Lane beyond the end of the season.

Lundstram’s deal, which was due to expire this summer, had the option for an extra 12 months and the Daily Telegraph understands it has been rubber stamped by his club.

It means the 26-year-old midfielder is set to be part of Chris Wilder’s squad next season instead of moving on a free transfer following his impressive rookie campaign in the Premier League.

Lundstram has played in all four divisions before last season’s promotion to the top flight, where he has recorded four goals and three assists during his team’s surprise tilt at European football.

During Project Restart he returned from injury to take a place on the substitutes’ bench for the win over Wolves that kept Wilder’s team in the running for a high-placed finish.

Wilder has revealed that Lundstram had an option in his terms the club intended to use. With the extension triggered, the Blades manager is looking to tie key players to long-term deals.

Lundstram has been in talks over fresh terms, with John Egan and Chris Basham also in line for new deals. Billy Sharp, David McGoldrick and Oliver Norwood agreed contracts during lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic.

During his three years since arriving from Oxford in a £700,000 deal, Lundstram’s value has risen while playing his part in Sheffield United’s return to the Premier League. He had started his career at Everton, where he was part of the England youth set-up but was sent on loans to Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town, Leyton Orient, Blackpool, Leyton Orient and Scunthorpe United. His move to Oxford, Wilder’s former club, was his first permanent move away from Goodison Park.

Schalke midfielder wants Premier League move

USA midfielder Weston McKennie wants to move to the Premier League as his preferred option this summer as Schalke prepare to make him available to balance their books.

The 21-year-old is expected to be one of the players David Wagner’s club will look to sell as a result of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic hitting football.

He is set to move for just £25million this summer as Schalke look to cash in on their assets. Clemens Tönnies stood down as chairman last month and this summer will see their key players targeted by their rivals across Europe.

McKennie will be of interest to the Premier League clubs chasing Champions League football, while Everton are also admirers and have been looking for central-midfield options.

Hertha Berlin are willing to keep him in Bundesliga but, according to sources close to the player, his ideal move would be to England where he would test himself in the Premier League and challenge for honours.

His potential has been compared to his USA team-mate Christian Pulisic, who moved to Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund last summer and has adapted to English football within a season.

McKennie is the same age as Pulisic and clubs believe he will make an instant impact in the Premier League. He has played most of the season in his familiar central-midfield role but can also play centre-back as cover.

His linked with Germany go back to to spending three years in Kaiserslautern as a kid when his dad was based there in the army. He went to school in Texas where he played as a halfback at American Football but chose to focus on soccer, before choosing a professional contract in Germany over a scholarship at the University of Virginia.