By George Overhill

17th Jul, 2022 | 8:30pm

Brighton attacker Reda Khadra close to Sheffield United move - Alan Nixon

Versatile Brighton man Reda Khadra is getting close to a move to Sheffield United this summer, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Blackburn and the Seagulls reportedly don’t want to lose him yet, but all parties involved accept that he needs to play this term.

Therefore it is not yet clear whether the nature of his move with be on loan or permanently, with the Blades hoping to include a buy option if he arrives on loan initially.

Nixon reports on Patreon that the German has visited his potential new club and is keen to make the move for this season at least, but with his contract on the south coast heading into the final 12-months his parent club may still look to extend it and then restrict the deal to a straight loan.

In a comment under his original Patreon story, in answer to a question as to whether Rovers could be back in for him Nixon answered that they are not trying hard enough and the Blades are the “clear favourites”.

Khadra made 28 appearances in all competitions for Blackburn, scoring five and assisting four more.

Decision time

If Brighton don’t want to lose him but aren’t ready to give him any significant game time then it leaves them with two options.

They can either extend his deal and loan him out, but that rests on him agreeing to a new contract at the Amex, or they can sell him now and include a buy-back clause for if he performs well at Bramall Lane.

Within the attacking midfield and wide areas in the first team there are various options for Graham Potter that suggest Khadra will struggle for game time currently.

Leandro Trossard, Alexis Mac Allister, Adam Lallana and Solly March are all options ahead of him in the pecking order, while Julio Enciso has been added to the likes of Danny Welbeck and Neil Maupay up front.

A solid season in the Championship has put his name into the minds of the decision makers at the club however, so following that up with another at a club which came close to Premier League promotion could put him in a good position to break into the senior set up on a more consistent basis.

But from the player’s side if he wants to be sure he can play regularly he may favour a permanent move, with the Blades an attractive option in the second tier, and it will therefore come down to whether they are willing to offer enough to make that worthwhile for the Seagulls now.

In other Brighton news, Tariq Lamptey has switched international side from England to Ghana.