Barnsley are hoping to sign at least one more central midfielder as well as striker Oliver McBurnie while Andy Yiadom's future remains unclear.

With the summer transfer window for loans and permanent signings set to close on Thursday, head coach Paul Heckingbottom is hopeful of doing some late business.

The Reds boss has been playing Everton loanee Joe Williams as the defensive midfielder in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Heckingbottom was understood to be talking about that holding position when he said: "There is one area that would, if we could make it stronger, make a big difference to us as a team and squad going forward. I have told Gauthier (Ganaye, the chief executive) that and we're working hard on it. It's not necessarily one player but one type of player.

"If anything else comes up then great but we have a really specific area which would help us out. I look at the players we already have and, if we have everyone fit, we have competition for places in the other positions and we can make changes for different games to freshen things up and put certain players in for certain games."

Heckingbottom has previously confirmed that a deal has been in place since May to sign Swansea City striker McBurnie on loan, but the Premier League club are wary of leaving themselves short of strikers with star man Fernando Llorente currently injured. McBurnie, 21, has come off the bench in both of Swansea's Premier League matches this season and was an unused substitute for their 4-1 Carabao Cup win at MK Dons on Tuesday.

The Reds boss said: "We hope we will get Oliver. Until it's all done you never know, but it's one we are working on."

Barnsley still have two loan slots available with Joe Williams, Harvey Barnes and Ike Ugbo taking up three of the five allowed in matchday squads.

In terms of players leaving, the Reds accepted a bid for Yiadom from Huddersfield Town earlier this month but Heckingbottom said a 'two millimetre start of a stress fracture' on his back was spotted on an X-ray during a medical and caused the deal to collapse. The Reds have four other full-backs so may be tempted to cash in should further offers be made. Heckingbottom initially said the Ghana international would be 'taken out of action' for two weeks and that he would have played at Sheffield United on Saturday if fit.

He added: "The move is off unless a club wants to buy an injured player. Every club will have a different view on it. If I put myself in Yids' shoes, he was fit and playing then all of a sudden he's told he's not fit and not playing. I will have a good chat with Yids about everything and see where he is.

"If I can get him playing, I will. It's been a strange situation because he has been declared unfit but, in terms of pain and symptoms, he can play."