Sheffield United door not closed on forgotten midfielder despite green light for January transfer exit

Ismaila Coulibaly has been assured that the door has not been closed for him at Sheffield United, despite being given the green light to leave Bramall Lane on loan this January. The Malian midfielder is back fit after his recent knee injury and was on the bench for United's FA Cup win at Gillingham last weekend.

Coulibaly, who turned 23 on Christmas Day, has played seven times for the Blades since joining in 2020, spending large chunks of his United career out on loan with sister club Beerschot before returning to Bramall Lane. His only football this season was 90 minutes in the Blades' League Cup exit to Lincoln City and he has been made available for a loan move in this transfer window.

Interest from Swedish side AIK has been reported for some time, while The Star understands that Coulibaly also has options in France, Belgium and Switzerland this month. While many had expected any loan deal to be the end of Coulibaly's time at United, with his contract set to expire in the summer, United are thought to have the option to extend it by a further year in the summer after doing so last summer following promotion.

United are expected to assess their options in the summer, depending primarily on their divisional status, before making a final decision on Coulibaly's future and in the meantime, a loan spell can give him a fresh start and get him some much-needed minutes and chances to impress. United are expected to seek as big a contribution to Coulibaly's wages as possible, which could then contribute towards the additions boss Chris Wilder hopes to make in this current transfer window.

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United's coaching staff are said to have been happy with Coulibaly's standards in training, with the door not completely shut on his United career even if he does seal a loan move away in this current window. The Malian is a player who garnered much interest from Unitedites during his time in Belgium but apart from an impressive cameo against Spurs in the League Cup last season, they have not yet seen the form that once generated media reports that credited the likes of AC Milan and Galatasaray with big-money interest in the midfielder.