Sheffield Wednesday urged to rival Sheffield United in transfer race for "very, very good" Championship star

Carlton Palmer, the former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, has urged his former club to rival Sheffield United in the transfer race for Rotherham United goalkeeper Viktor Johansson this summer. The highly-rated Millers stopper is available for a bargain fee at the end of this season after the Millers were relegated from the Championship.

The Blades have previously watched the Swedish international in action at the New York Stadium, where he has established a reputation as one of the best shot-stoppers in the second tier despite the Millers’ struggle for survival. He remains under contract until next summer but a relegation release clause written into the deal he signed means a club could snap him up for a deal totalling around £1m this summer.

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He recently told our sister paper, the Rotherham Advertiser, that he was “100 per cent okay” with the idea of staying with the Millers for another season but his performances in the Championship, combined with his attractive fee, mean that interest from the second tier and abroad is guaranteed. “I haven’t really thought about the summer,” he said after relegation was confirmed. “I'm still fully focused here. It hasn't been good enough from us and we want to at least find something good to end the season with.”

United signed Ivo Grbic in January but their three other goalkeepers, Wes Foderingham, Adam Davies and Jordan Amissah, are all out of contract in the summer. Wednesday No.1 James Beadle is at Hillsborough on loan from Brighton, with Cameron Dawson set to become a free agent in June as things stand and only youngster Pierce Charles contracted beyond this summer.

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And former Wednesday man Palmer believes Johansson would be a good addition for either Sheffield club this summer. “He’s been one of the most consistent keepers in the Championship despite Rotherham’s position, so he’s highly sought after,” he told Football League World.

“Johansson should want to be a first-team keeper. He doesn’t want to be sitting on the bench, so he shouldn’t move anywhere where he would be second choice. There are a lot of Premier League clubs after him, but would he be first-choice there? I doubt it.

“So, should Sheffield Wednesday retain their Championship status, that would be a viable option for him, with Sheffield United another. He’s going to have a lot of clubs after his signature. Would he be a good signing for either Sheffield club? Absolutely. Whoever signs Johansson has got a very, very good goalkeeper.”