Defenders Jack O'Connell and Enda Stevens, also part of the Blades side who won promotion to the top-tier in 2018-19, will also leave Bramall Lane at the end of their current contracts, which expire at the end of this month.

Boyhood Blades fan Sharp recently cast doubt on his future at the club when addressing supporters who gathered outside Sheffield Town Hall to celebrate promotion - breaking down during a speech as fans started to chant 'one more year'.

He said: “If this is the end, I want to thank you all. To be able to be a part of this club, to be able to achieve what I’ve achieved since I’ve played here, the last years have been unbelievable.

"I just want to thank the staff, the fans, my team mates, my wife and my kids. Everybody knows what this club means to me.”

Young defender Kyron Gordon has also been released by the Blades, while extensions have been activated in the contracts of Ismaila Coulibaly, Wes Foderingham, Oliver McBurnie and Oliver Norwood.

The club remain in discussions with John Fleck, Jack Robinson, Ben Osborn and Zak Brunt regarding new deals.

Sheffield United retained list: Billy Sharp and Enda Stevens released as Blades activate extensions in contracts of Ismaila Coulibaly, Wes Foderingham, Oliver McBurnie and Oliver Norwood