Sheffield Wednesday's hopes of achieving a miraculous survival next month are currently hanging by a thread as they will need help from elsewhere in order to avoid relegation.

The Owls fell victim to their woeful away form once again last weekend as they suffered a 16th league defeat on their travels at the hands of Middlesbrough.

As a result of this setback, Wednesday missed out on the opportunity to close the gap between them and Derby County and will now need to better Wayne Rooney's side's result on Saturday to keep their hopes of retaining their second-tier status alive.

Whilst the Owls' primary focus in the coming weeks will be to secure maximum points in their clashes with Nottingham Forest and the Rams, an update has surfaced regarding the future of two of their key players ahead of the summer transfer window.

Responding to a question asked by a supporter about whether Tom Lees and Adam Reach were still discussing their futures with the Owls, YorkshireLive journalist Dom Howson revealed that all contract talks at Hillsborough have been put on hold until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

This particular duo could both end up becoming free-agents in June when their contracts expire if they opt to call time on their respective spells with Wednesday.

Whereas Reach could make his 48th appearance of the season against Forest this weekend, Lees may be forced to watch on from the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury against Middlesbrough.

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

When you consider that Wednesday still do not know what league they will be playing in next season, it is hardly a surprise that they are taking this particular stance when it comes to contracts.

Although the Owls are putting themselves at risk of players entering discussions with other clubs, they cannot afford to offer fresh deals as it could lead to financial difficulties if they suffer relegation to League One.

When you consider that Reach and Lees both possess a great deal of experience at Championship having played 304 and 372 games respectively in this division, they may want to stay at this level next season.

If this is indeed the case, Owls manager Darren Moore will need to draft up a list of potential replacements ahead of the transfer window if his side ultimately fall short in their bid to avoid relegation to the third-tier as a failure to do so could lead to a difficult start to the 2021/22 campaign.