It was beginning to look like Harrison Burrows to Sheffield United would be a neverending story

​According to an impeccable PT source – and believe me he should have known what was going on – plus confirmation from someone close to the club, the 22 year-old Posh captain, fresh from the personal season of his dreams, set his heart on a move to Bramall Lane towards the end of June when the Championship club first declared their interest.

A fee between the clubs was apparently agreed, personal terms were satisfactory (unsurprisingly as rumours of a giant rise to around £15k a week were soon circulating) and the medical for a fit lad who played 58 times last season was always going to a be a formality.

But a USA-based consortium was struggling to finalise a takeover of the Championship club and until that was done Burrows was going to be left in limbo and Sheffield United were in danger of being gazumped by rival clubs.

Preston North End tried to sign the reigning League One Player-of-the-Year, but admitted their bid had been rejected leaving manager Ryan Lowe to rather bluntly say: ‘he is a good player, but there are many players out there who are just as good.”

A suggestion Sheffield United had pulled out of the deal because they no longer wanted to pay the fee (a £6 million package according to our source) provoked an angry denial from Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony, who would have been forgiven for wanting a bidding war, and all went quiet again until last Saturday when Posh boss Darren Ferguson admitted the anticipated departure of his captain had ‘accelerated.’

Our sister paper the Sheffield Star was quick off the mark the following day to reveal ‘The Blades’ had sealed the deal ‘barring any last-minute hitches’ after funds had been freed up by the sale of other players, although a club who had already made impressive summer signings like Callum O’Hare and Kieffer Moore didn’t exactly appear to be skint anyway.

The PT source confirmed the Star story and a ‘signed, sealed and delivered’ update seemed imminent, although it dragged on for a another week with Burrows spending three days in Sheffield tying up loose ends, including a medical, and then waiting another three days for the move to be confirmed in public.

Just to muddy the waters a little, MacAnthony, who has been known to tease journalists with misdirection, was on national radio station talkSport on Tuesday and managed to persuade many listeners that Leeds United were trying to hijack the deal, although that was a stretch given the actual words he used.

MacAnthony said: “We've had bids from five Championship clubs for him and we've accepted a couple of them so it's down to the player and those clubs and I'm not going to talk any further about that.”

When Sheffield United’s good work in the current transfer window was put to MacAnthony, he replied: "Leeds have also done good business and so have a few others in the Championship.”

Luckily, for the stress levels of Sheffield United fans at least, Yorkshire-based journalists were able to check with Leeds contacts who insisted there was no interest in Burrows and later that night Blades boss Chris Wilder confirmed a deal between the Posh skipper and his club was ‘close to being done.’

But Wednesday and Thursday passed without public confirmation and became so frustrating MacAnthony broke his own ‘no comment’ rule regarding transfer talk on social media on Friday to say the hold-up was nothing to do with his club.

And it wasn’t. The Blades finally got round to admitting what some of us had predicted for weeks by announcing Burrows had signed a four year contract.

It seems like a great move for Burrows who might prove to be better suited as a left wingback rather than a left back at the higher level. It’s difficult to see him failing though as long as his new club play a passing game and allow Burrows to drift with freedom up and down the left flank.

Posh have also done reasonably well if the £3 million fee is accurate. It matches what Southampton apparently paid for Ronnie Edwards, but this one is pure profit for a player raised in the Posh Academy.