Sheffield Wednesday's preparations for the upcoming 2021/22 campaign are already underway as manager Darren Moore has been putting his players through their paces in pre-season training.
The Owls are set to face Celtic in a friendly later this week as they gear up for a year in the third-tier of English football.
Having opted to part ways with a plethora of players following his side's relegation from the Championship, it will be intriguing to see whether Moore is able to assemble a squad which is capable of achieving a relative amount of success in this particular division.
Whereas the Owls did bolster their youth set-up last week by handing professional contracts to David Agbontohoma and Leojo Davidson, the recent financial uncertainty surrounding the club has played a role in their inability to draft in any senior players.
However, having now paid members of their current squad the money that they were owed, Wednesday are seemingly looking to secure the services of a defender who is currently attracting a great deal of interest from a host of clubs.
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According to The Scottish Sun, Wednesday are keeping tabs on Jamie McCart's situation at St Johnstone ahead of a potential swoop this summer.
The 24-year-old is also being closely monitored by Sunderland, Nottingham Forest, Barnsley, Hibernian and Belgian side Royal Union Saint-Gilloise.
Any potential deal for McCart may have to wait until the Owls' transfer embargo is lifted as St Johnstone have reportedly recently rejected a £200,000 bid from Hibs.
Due to the nature of this particular restriction, Wednesday are currently unable to pay a fee for a player.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
Whereas it is abundantly clear that the Owls will need to overcome some obstacles in order to secure McCart's signature, it would be a major coup if they can convince him to make the move to Hillsborough.
An ever-present in St Johnstone's side last season, the centre-back made 47 appearances for the club as he helped them to secure an historic domestic cup double.
Having averaged an impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.91 in the Scottish Premiership, McCart could potentially set to third-tier of English football alight with his displays if he is willing to join the Owls.
Considering that Wednesday are no longer able to call upon the services of Tom Lees, Osaze Urhoghide and Joost van Aken, they unquestionably need to strengthen their options at centre-back and thus McCart could turn out to be the ideal signing.
However, it is imperative that Moore drafts up a list of alternatives for the defender as there is no guarantee that they will be able to sign him even if their embargo is removed by the Football League in the coming weeks.
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