Highly-rated former Portsmouth and Hull defender remains free agent as Sheffield Wednesday await decision

The defender, who established himself as a fan favourite during his brief stint at Fratton Park during the 2022-23 campaign, is yet to sign the new contract the Owls offered him at the end of last season. As a result, the 23-year-old is now a free agent, after his one-year deal at Hillsborough expired at the end of June.

Bernard has spent the majority of the summer to date on international duty with Jamaica, who have had World Cup qualifiers and the Copa America on their agenda in recent weeks.

That could explain the current impasse. But while Pompey’s Championship rivals continue to work behind the scenes in order to get a commitment from the player, no immediate successful conclusion appears on the cards. That will, no doubt, give others hope that Bernard can be enticed elsewhere.

Speaking to our sister paper, The Sheffield Star, Owls boss Danny Röhl provided the latest on the situation. He said: ‘It is still a position we are looking in. Dish was in the tournament (Copa America), which makes him a little bit different to other players. You want to let them have the focus for the tournament and now we are seeing what we can do.

‘It’s always from both sides, it’s not just about the dream. We have to find a way. If we can do it, then it could be a very good option to take him. He was a big part of the last season for me and for the team, but again we have to work behind the scenes. You have seen how we bring players in every week; players, players. Let’s have a look.’

Bernard was one of Wednesday’s stand-out players last season as they managed to escape relegation from the Championship. He featured 36 times in all competitions for the Owls after moving to the south Yorkshire outfit from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee.

Pompey were keen to be reunited with the centre-back last summer after 10 games for the Blues over the second half of the 2022-23 campaign. However, their League One status proved a major stumbling block, with the former Hull and Salford defender keen to operate at Championship level following his Old Trafford departure.

The Blues remain on the lookout for a new centre-back this summer, following their promotion back to the second tier of English football. They parted company with Sean Raggett at the end of last season and currently have Conor Shaughnessy, Tom McIntyre and Ryley Towler as their only fit central defensive specialists as they wait on Regan Poole to make a full recovery from the ACL injury he suffered last November.