Sheffield United have seemingly won the race to sign Leicester City‘s Hamza Choudhury, beating Derby County to the Bangladeshi international.

The Rams had looked at a potential move for the versatile midfielder earlier this week, but were joined by Chris Wilder’s side yesterday, who were keen on adding their former loanee to their ranks.

Choudhury Makes Blades Return

Now, according to the Sheffield Star, County have been handed a crucial blow in their attempts to sign Choudhury, with Leicester agreeing a permanent deal with United for his signature.

Foxes boss Russell Martin has excluded the 28-year-old from his recent matchday squads due to the interest being shown in him, alongside Stephy Mavididi and Wout Faes, both of whom are also expected to leave the King Power.

Choudhury is now set to undergo a medical in Yorkshire today, and the Blades are targeting having everything agreed for their Tuesday night match against Bolton Wanderers.

A need for a new right-back at Bramall Lane has been exacerbated following news that Femi Seriki could face a significant spell out injured, after picking up a knee issue in their match against Blackburn Rovers last week.

Playing 19 times for the Blades under Wilder, Choudhury was a key player in their push for promotion back to the Premier League, where they came unstuck against Sunderland in the Championship play-off final.

Surprise Move For United

Given Chris Wilder’s past admissions that Sheffield United were to only focus on loan moves or free agents, it is somewhat surprising that they have leapt for a permanent move for Hamza Choudhury.

While the cash was there to be spent, as they had considered an improved bid on the £8 million they offered Leicester City for Harry Souttar, it did seem like they were to lock that money away for a future window.

The Bangladeshi arrives back at Bramall Lane and looks set to be an immediate first-team option at right-back, coming in to replace Femi Seriki for the as-yet-unknown duration of his knee injury.

However, he will have a big role to play once the 24-year-old finally comes back to full fitness, as he can be a capable option to play in midfield, something they will need further down the line once Kalvin Phillips’ loan spell expires at the end of the season.

It is a sensible move for Sheffield United to make, and while they should continue to press on with further defensive reinforcements before Tuesday night’s clash with Bolton, this deal will be a big help to providing the squad with ample depth.