Sheffield United to sign Aaron Ramsdale from Bournemouth for £18.5m

Sheffield United are close to completing the £18.5m signing of the Bournemouth goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

The Blades have had a second offer reluctantly accepted by Bournemouth, and the 22-year-old is only formalities away from completing a return to his first club. Bournemouth signed Ramsdale from United for £800,000 in 2017, with the England Under-21 international making 37 senior appearances for the Cherries.

Bournemouth rejected the Blades’ initial bid in the region of £12m for Ramsdale, with the Cherries understood to be under no pressure financially or otherwise to sell. Ramsdale, though, is thought to have been set on a move back to his former club, with the Blades keen to recruit a first-choice keeper after loanee Dean Henderson returned to parent club Manchester United.

Chris Wilder steered United to a hugely-impressive ninth-place finish in the Premier League last term. Bournemouth had initially hoped to hold on to Ramsdale despite their five-year top-flight stay coming to an end.

However, once the keeper confirmed his desire to return to his first club, the Cherries’ board set about agreeing an acceptable fee.