Sheffield United ready to sign Aston Villa’s Cameron Archer for £18.5m

Sheffield United are closing on an £18.5m move for the Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer, in a major boost in the club’s fight for Premier League survival. United are hoping the 21-year-old can replicate his prolific goalscoring record at Championship level in the Premier League.

Archer spent the second half of last season on loan at Middlesbrough, after a fruitful spell in the second tier at Preston the previous year. Archer entered as a late substitute for Villa against Everton last Sunday but the club have decided their academy graduate is best served playing regularly elsewhere. Villa have stipulated that a buyback clause must be included in any deal, as they did with Aaron Ramsey’s £14m transfer to Burnley.

Archer, who was part of the England team that won the European Under-21 Championship in July, signed a five-year contract with Villa last summer but his game-time for the club has been limited.

United, who have lost both of their league matches since promotion to the top flight, host Manchester City at Bramall Lane on Sunday.

The United manager, Paul Heckingbottom, made it clear after defeat at Nottingham Forest last Friday that he wanted to bolster his attacking options after the sale of Iliman Ndiaye, last season’s top scorer, to Marseille.

“We need firepower at the top end of the pitch,” Heckingbottom said. “We need to create more discomfort for whoever is playing against us.”

Luton explored a loan deal for Archer but United look set to land the forward, who was wanted by almost every Championship club. Luton can loan one more player from a Premier League club after taking full-back Issa Kabore from Manchester City.