Sheffield United transfer news: Blades expected to sign James McAtee but miss out on Tommy Doyle on deadline day

Both spent last season on loan from Manchester City and as the campaign went on became increasingly influential figures in their promotion-winning campaign.

McAtee is expected to join the Blades on deadline day but Doyle is thought to be on the verge of a loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers with an option to buy, effectively the makeweight in Matheus Nunes' move in the opposite direction.

McAtee made 21 Championship appearances with 16 substitute outings, and scored nine goals. Doyle also started 21 games, coming off the bench 12 times, and scored three.

The hope, therefore, was always that both could be lured back, although Premier League rules are different to the Championship in that sides can only loan one player from a fellow English club.

Unlike Doyle, McAtee has been involved in every City squad this season, but his only minutes came from the bench in stoppage time at Burnley on the opening day.

His parent club have great faith in him but at 20 year-old they feel he needs more game-time to be ready to properly push for a place in the treble-winning side. Manager Paul Heckingbottom has been in touch with the players and the club all summer, but has had to remain respectfully patient, with City shuffling their own attacking midfield resources after the injury to Kevin de Bruyne, departure of Riyad Mahrez, and signings of Jeremy Doku and Nunes.

McAtee was on the bench at Bramall Lane on Sunday, where he received a warm reception from fans keen to see him back.

He plays as an attacking midfielder and in the 3-4-2-1 formation Heckingbottom has fielded this season he is likely to be one of the inside-forwards.

Whilst the defence has been largely unchanged this season, injuries and the sales Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge have left them desperately light further forward and with only a limited budget before those departures, they have struggled to add top quality.

Cameron Archer joined from Aston Villa for £18.5m in the final week of the window, and his job will be to score the goals. Responsibility for making them will now lie chiefly with McAtee and £15m Gustavo Hamer, who can play in either of the midfield lines.

Having signed Luke Thomas from Leicester City on Thursday, the Blades will not be able to make any further domestic loans.