New Sheffield United boss Adkins said: “Sharpy is a Leeds United player at this point in time, simple as that.
“We’ve always known him; we had him at Scunthorpe and sold him to United, then we took him to Southampton with us and brought him in on loan at Reading, too.
“But we’ve got to first get in there when the players come back, assess the personnel we already have at our disposal and then go from there.”
“We also have to work under the restraints of the club.”
Ex-Blades striker Sharp, who had a frustrating campaign at Elland Road last term, worked successfully with Adkins during his spell in charge of Scunthorpe United, hitting 30 goals during their promotion to the Championship in 2006-07.
Adkins also signed him for a seven-figure fee while in charge at Southampton in January 2012, purchasing the frontman from Doncaster Rovers.