Sheffield Wednesday make transfer approach for exciting winger admired by Portsmouth and West Ham

Sheffield Wednesday have made a move for a player held in high esteem by Pompey.

According to our sister paper, The Star, the Owls have approached Ligue 1 side Brest about the availability of young forward Karamoko Dembele.

An enquiry has reportedly been made about the possibility of a loan deal at Hillsborough next season, after the 21-year-old enjoyed a productive spell at Blackpool last term. Spending the entire 2023-24 campaign at Bloomfield Road, the former Celtic youngster featured 39 times in League One for Neil Critchley’s side, scoring eight goals and registering 13 assists.

Those numbers and his overall performances for the Seasiders have prompted links with Premier League clubs - including Everton, West Ham and Nottingham Forest. Interest among Championship clubs has also materialised, including Pompey, with The News understanding that head coach John Mousinho is a big admirer of the winger, who has represented both England and Scotland at youth-team level.

However, it appears Danny Rohl’s Wednesday - who survived relegation from the Championship by three points last season - have stolen a march on potential rivals for Dembele’s signature by making an early loan approach.

It’s unclear at this stage whether Brest are entertaining another loan for a player who has been on their books since 2022 or are willing to part company with the player on a permanent basis. Dembele, who has a year remaining on his contract,  has featured 17 times in the league for Eric Roy’s side following his arrival on a free transfer from Parkhead. But with the Stade Francis Le Blé outfit preparing for Champions League football next season after finishing third in Ligue 1, the player could remain down the pecking order.

A move to a Championship club could, therefore, be the next natural step for Dembele, who won a host of player of the year awards from his season-long loan at Blackpool. That puts the Blues in a better position if they decide to follow up Mousinho’s admiring glances, following their promotion to the second tier as League One winners. And with attacking wide areas a department the Blues are keen to strengthen this summer, it’s understandable that Dembele is a player who has come under their radar.

The Owls are clearly impressed, too, with the Lambeth-born forward. But they’ve followed up their interest with an approach, which will put their rivals on alert.