Wrexham are closing in on one of the boldest moves of deadline day, with Sheffield United midfielder Callum O'Hare on the brink of a permanent switch to north Wales.
The 26-year-old is set to undergo a medical ahead of a deal worth around £6.5m, a statement fee for a club still adjusting to life back in the EFL but clearly in no mood to slow their ascent. If all goes to plan, the transfer will be completed before the 23:00 BST cut-off.
This is not a fringe player being nudged out of a Premier League squad. O'Hare has featured in every Sheffield United game so far this season and scored in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Cardiff City. He also has two years left on his contract at Bramall Lane. Wrexham are not shopping in the bargain bin; they are prising away a key attacking midfielder from a club with promotion ambitions of their own.
Blades manager Chris Wilder confirmed on Monday that Wrexham had made their move, and he did not hide his irritation with the breadth of their late-window activity. He described their approach as "blanket bombing" the market in the closing stages of the summer window, adding that the north Wales club were "in for half the division".
That line will not trouble Phil Parkinson. If anything, it underlines the scale of Wrexham's intent. The Red Dragons boss has been open about his desire to add more attacking options, with the club linked to several forward-thinking players, including Millwall's Femi Azeez. O'Hare, with his ability to operate between the lines and drive at defences, fits that brief perfectly.
The former Aston Villa, Carlisle United and Coventry City man brings pedigree and end product. He arrives from a club operating at a higher level, in form, and trusted enough to have been involved in every Sheffield United outing this campaign. For a side with Wrexham's momentum and profile, this is the type of signing that shifts expectations again.
Now it comes down to the clock. Medical, paperwork, signatures. If Wrexham get it all done before 23:00 BST, a player central to Sheffield United's start to the season will walk into a dressing room in north Wales that already believes it can bend the pyramid to its will.
