Leeds United target opens up on Sheffield United move as Sunderland 'submit offer' for 22-goal striker
Your round-up of the latest news surrounding Leeds United’s Championship rivals.
Leeds United have just over three weeks until their 2024/25 season gets underway at home to Portsmouth, and Daniel Farke’s side return to action this week. A youthful side beat a Rangers-XI 1-0 in a behind-closed-doors game on Monday, with more senior options expected to line up against League Two Harrogate Town on Friday evening before the squad head off to Germany.
Three new signings have been welcomed through the door already and news of bids being rejected for Sheffield United’s Jayden Bogle suggests there is plenty more to come before Leeds are back in competitive action. Farke’s side will expect to challenge for automatic promotion again but a raft of sides will hope to be up there with them and have been recruiting well. With all that in mind, the YEP has rounded up some of the latest transfer stories from across the division.
O’Hare on Blades move
Callum O’Hare insists the opportunity to work under ‘top man’ Chris Wilder was a key factor in him deciding to join Sheffield United. O’Hare was confirmed as a Blades player on Tuesday morning alongside Kieffer Moore, having left Coventry City as a free agent earlier this summer. The 26-year-old was thought to be on Leeds’ radar, but interest was not as far down the line as that from Bramall Lane and elsewhere.
“It is a big club,” O’Hare said of his new side. “I had some interest from some other teams and other leagues but I just thought that this was the right step in my career so I can't wait to go out there now and play. I met Chris Wilder in Birmingham and from there I obviously knew what a top man he was. He kept in touch and since then the conversations kept flowing and I knew he was definitely the right person to work under."
Black Cats striker bid
Sunderland have reportedly joined the race to sign clinical SM Caen striker Alexandre Mendy. French outlet Foot Mercato reports that an official bid has been submitted for the 30-year-old, who looks set to leave his current club amid widespread interest. Saudi Arabian club Al-Riyadh are thought to have had offers rejected and now the Black Cats could look to swoop in.
Mendy, 30, has enjoyed a late emergence in France after moving from Bordeaux to Caen in 2020 with last season’s tally of 23 goals in 39 Ligue 2 games catching the eye of several clubs. Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman and manager Regis Le Bris have made the signing of a goalscorer their top priority, but interest in an ageing frontman goes against their previous ethos of recruiting young talent.
Armstrong battle
Stoke City and Bristol City look set to battle it out for the signature of Queens Park Rangers forward Sinclair Armstrong. West London Sport reports that Stoke are expected to submit an offer for the 21-year-old shortly, with Bristol already making their approach earlier in the window.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke reported on Monday evening that Bristol were in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Armstrong, who scored three goals in 39 Championship matches last season. But the race is not over and it seems Stoke could attempt to swoop in late for the Dublin-born frontman.