£35k-a-week Sheffield United star set for Bramall Lane exit as update emerges
Rhian Brewster is appearing increasingly likeWESly to officially depart Sheffield United, with efforts to tie the striker down to a new contract proving fruitless.
According to a recent report from The Star, the prospect of a new deal now appears “unlikely” as Brewster looks set to walk away from Bramall Lane after officially becoming a free agent when his contract expired on June 30.
The Blades had lodged a series of efforts to convince Brewster to extend his stay in the red-and-white quarters of the Steel City as the five-year contract he penned to join in a blockbuster £23.5 million deal from Liverpool in 2020 ran down, but both parties have failed to reach an agreement and the forward’s stay in South Yorkshire has now seemingly come to an end.
Brewster’s time with United has, of course, been blighted by injuries, which have prevented him from ever truly making good on the significant investment shelled out to make him a club-record signing while still in the Premier League. The 25-year-old has, in total, spent 634 days out injured across his stay at the Lane, equating to 20 months and 99 fixtures on the sidelines.
| Rhian Brewster’s stats for Sheffield United by season, as per FotMob | |||
| Season | Division | Appearances | Goals |
| 2020/21 | Premier League | 30 | 0 |
| 2021/22 | Championship | 16 | 4 |
| 2022/23 | Championship | 17 | 1 |
| 2023/24 | Premier League | 14 | 0 |
| 2024/25 | Championship | 42 | 4 |
When fit, Brewster has often struggled infront of goal and is poised to leave the Blades with just nine strikes from 119 appearances, although he enjoyed his most productive campaign last time out by scoring four times and setting up a further three amid only 16 starts, while also notching the winner in the Steel City derby victory over fierce rivals Sheffield Wednesday, as they made it all the way to the play-off final under Chris Wilder after finishing the season with 90 points, and despite his record, the club had been keen to retain his services ahead of the 2025/26 term.
Sheffield United set for disappointment in Rhian Brewster contract negotiations
As per the aforementioned report, Brewster is looking “increasingly likely” to have kicked his last ball as a Sheffield United player, which came in the agonising 2-1 defeat at Wembley to Sunderland at the end of May.
It’s said that a new contract had been presented to the former England youth international star, but the parties were “somewhat” apart in their valuations before he became a free agent last week.
Ex-boss Wilder, who brought Brewster to Bramall Lane five years ago, was eager to keep the versatile forward at United and the club’s contract offer was not withdrawn even when he was replaced by new head coach Ruben Selles last month after their failure to gain promotion at the first attempt.
The report adds that Brewster’s camp first rejected the offer of a new deal around the turn of the year, and negotiations had been ongoing ever since. Although the possibility of a contract extension has not been completely ruled out, all signs point to an impending exit.
As per Capology estimates, the out-of-contract forward was the side’s joint-highest earner last season on a weekly contract of £35,000.
Rhian Brewster will have suitors once Sheffield United exit is confirmed
Once Brewster’s seemingly-inevitable departure from Sheffield United is officially communicated and confirmed, one would only imagine that his services as a free agent will be sought-after by a clutch of Championship suitors.
In spite of a largely disappointing few years, Brewster’s ability remains in little doubt, which is why the Blades had expressed such an eagerness to keep him on for next season.
You do feel that no shortage of clubs will hope and believe they can see a replication of Brewster’s electric goalscoring form while on loan at Swansea City in the second-half of the 2019/20 season, in which he earned his move to United after returning 11 strikes from just 22 appearances in South Wales.
At 25, Brewster is approaching his prime years and will be bidding to enjoy a clean bill of help and an upturn in fortunes infront of goal.
His injury record presents a gamble, and it’s unlikely that Brewster would come cheap from a salary perspective, but we may just see a number of sides looking to take a calculated punt in the coming weeks.
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