Leeds eye Johansson, Burnley eye O’Shea, Blackburn close in on Sigurdsson, Luton want McNair

With the transfer window officially opening in the Championship this week, speculation and rumours over the future of players in the second tier is only bound to increase.

It has already been a busy summer in that regard, especially when it comes to the Championship, in part due to the size of the teams coming down from the Premier League and up from League One.

With all three newly-promoted sides surviving in the Premier League, it was Southampton, Leeds United and Leicester City who suffered the drop into the second tier – three clubs with plenty of talented players that are the subject of much interest and not likely to be playing Championship football next season.

The division is expected to be more competitive than ever, with a host of clubs in the hunt for top-flight football by the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

As ever, excitement is building ahead of the new season, with the fixtures for the Championship to be announced imminently on Thursday 22nd June.

Having said that, here, we have rounded up some of the latest transfer news and rumours in the second tier.

Dara O’Shea heading to Burnley from West Bromwich Albion

Burnley are in advanced talks with West Brom to sign defender Dara O’Shea, according to Sky Sports.

Football Insider claim that a deal has been agreed between the two clubs and O’Shea will have a medical on Thursday ahead of his move to Turf Moor.

The Clarets have been long-standing admirers of O’Shea as we exclusively revealed in July of last year, with Vincent Kompany remaining keen on bringing the Republic of Ireland international to Lancashire and to now test him at Premier League level.

Blackburn Rovers closing in CSKA Moscow’s Arnor Sigurdsson

Blackburn Rovers are closing in on the signing of Icelandic midfielder Arnor Sigurdsson, according to Alan Nixon.

It has been reported that the 24-year-old is set to be flown into Lancashire ahead of a potential move to Ewood Park this summer.

Sigurdsson is a midfielder who recently spent time on loan with Swedish side IFK Norrkoping from CSKA Moscow, where he scored nine goals from 17 appearances.

Leeds United interest in Rotherham United’s Viktor Johansson revealed

Leeds United are said to be keeping tabs on Rotherham United’s Viktor Johansson, Football League World sources have revealed.

Leeds are keen on Johansson and eyeing him up as a potential replacement for Illan Meslier this summer, with Joel Robles also out of contract at Elland Road.

The Whites are monitoring his situation, with only two years left on his deal at the New York Stadium. The 24-year-old collected the Players’ Player of the Year award for Rotherham due to his displays between the sticks.

Paddy McNair linked with move away from Middlesbrough to Luton Town

Football League World sources have revealed that the versatile defender/midfielder Paddy McNair is a player of interest to Luton Town head coach Rob Edwards this summer.

The 28-year-old has played a mixture of centre-back and central-midfield throughout his career, and Luton are considering a move for him after featuring 34 times for Boro in the 2022-23 season.

Middlesbrough could cash-in on the Northern Irishman, as it is likely that they will once again have to sell to spend in order to refresh Michael Carrick’s squad with new signings this summer.