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Barnsley full-back Andy Yiadom has become the latest player at Barnsley to attract Premier League attention.
According to the , Swansea City are preparing to table a £3 million offer to bring the defender from Oakwell to South Wales.
This is the second time this transfer window that Yiadom has been sought after by a Premier League side.
Top-flight new boys Huddersfield wanted to secure the Ghanaian’s services earlier in July but their efforts were in vain.
Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom has told the Yorkshire Post: “We have been clear that no-one is going to get him on the cheap and after being really clear about that, they seem to have backed off.”
Even if Swansea come back with an offer which meets the clubs estimations, are Barnsley in a position to sell their right-back?
The simple answer is no. Barnsley exceeded expectations last season, and despite falling off towards the end, were never really threatened by relegation.
This season could be a very different story. The Tykes have lost a list of players as long as your arm, including their only other right-back Saidy Janko and captain Marc Roberts.
Despite bringing in players to replace the departures, Yiadom is still the only out and out right-back at the club. With less than a week until the start of the season, reshaping the back four now could have massive consequences.
To survive in the Championship it is vital that your defenders are comfortable playing with one another and know each other’s game.
The Ghanaian international will have spent preseason working alongside Heckingbottom’s preferred centre-backs and left-back to build up that chemistry.
Losing Yiadom now would be a huge set back for that defence. Not only would all the preseason work have been for nothing, but it would leave the club needing to find a new right-back in less than a week.
If no replacement could be found, centre-back Angus MacDonald, who has had to play right-back on occasions, would most likely have to fill the Yiadom-shaped hole on the right.
Unfortunately, Barnsley have been handed a reasonable fixture list for the start of the season. The Tykes have avoided the division’s big boys such as Aston Villa and Middlesborough until Autumn.
Why is that a bad thing? Few teams will find picking up points against such teams easy, which means Barnsley need to get wins and draws where they can, and these opening fixtures are a great opportunity to do so.
If the Tykes fail to pick up points in August, it could be a long season for the fans at Oakwell.
Time will tell if Swansea, or anyone else, can meet Barnsley’s evaluation, but even if a reasonable bid does come in, letting Yiadom go may be the equivalent of shooting themselves in the foot.