Sheffield Wednesday agree deal to sign Premier League striker
Sheffield Wednesday have agreed a deal to sign Hull City striker Mason Burstow as Henrik Pedersen builds a squad worthy of League One promotion, sources have told Football Insider.
Pedersen has been trusted with rebuilding the Owls squad after they suffered relegation from the Championship last season.
Sources say that Hull striker Burstow is set to join the Owls on loan for the new season after an impressive spell at Bolton Wanderers.
The former Chelsea forward arrives in S6 with EFL experience and lofty potential to boot, as the next piece of their promotion-winning jigsaw looks set to be put in its place.
New owners Arise Capital, led by David Storch, are investing in the Wednesday team in search of an immediate promotion in their first campaign at the helm.
The likes of Louie Barry, Callum Slattery and Billy Mitchell have arrived to real fanfare, while Barry Bannan is back at Hillsborough after six months at Millwall.
Who is Mason Burstow?
Greenwich-born Burstow had trials at Norwich and Chelsea as a youngster, but made his way through the youth ranks of non-league sides Welling and Maidstone United.
He earned a second trial at Chelsea in 2020 but instead joined Charlton Athletic and burst onto the first team scene at The Valley in 2021-22.
Burstow scored with his first touch in senior football for the Addicks against Crawley Town in the EFL Trophy, going on to score six times in 23 appearances that season.
His performances earned a long-awaited move to Chelsea, where he scored regularly for their under-21 side and made a senior breakthrough in his second season at the club.
The striker made three first-team appearances for the Blues in 2023-24 to complete a rapid two-year rise from non-league to the Premier League.
Burstow struggled on loan at Championship side Sunderland in the second half of that campaign, but did earn his first two England under-20 caps against Romania and Portugal.
He signed for Hull on a four-year deal in August 2024, but only bagged twice in 32 appearances before being loaned out to Bolton last summer.
Burstow discovered his scoring touch in the professional game for the first time with the Trotters, as he registered 12 goals and six assists in 53 games to help fire them to promotion from League One.
What did Steven Schumacher say about Burstow?
Sources have revealed to Football Insider that Wednesday hold an interest in Huddersfield's Joe Taylor, so it is clear that they are after proven third-tier scorers to bolster their squad this summer.
Burstow is exactly that, and previous praise from Bolton manager Schumacher shows exactly what kind of character Owls fans can expect for the campaign ahead.
Speaking in February after he returned to the fold to score against Reading, he said: "Mason doesn't need picking up. He's a positive enough type of character. He had an unbelievable start for us. Got off to a flyer, got seven goals in his first ten games.
“The goals dried up a little bit. He scored an important penalty for us in the middle of his drought. He's popped up with another really important goal for us tonight. I'm pleased for him. It's not easy sometimes when you lead people out of the squad. It wasn't easy for him last weekend.
“But again, he trained brilliantly yesterday. He was really sharp. Looked as though he had the bit between his teeth. That was why we decided to put him on the bench and it's paid off.”