Leeds United transfer blow as £6m 'target' prefers move elsewhere
Leeds United have regularly been linked with the forward.
Leeds United have suffered a blow in their reported pursuit of Dor Turgeman amid claims the forward would prefer a move elsewhere.
Turgeman was first linked with a move to Elland Road at the start of December, with Israeli outlet Sport5 reporting an ‘official approach’ had been made. Those claims may have been inflated by intermediaries but interest was seemingly present, with the Daily Mail reporting later that month that Elland Road chiefs were ‘weighing up’ a January approach for the 21-year-old.
That approach doesn’t look likely as things stand, with Leeds maintaining they expect a quiet month while Joe Gelhardt’s loan exit - two Championship clubs including Hull City are pushing - is the only deal on the horizon. Links with Turgeman will almost certainly resurface over the summer though and Israeli outlet Sport1 has provided an update on his future.
Turgeman transfer ‘preference’
They claim Maccabi Tel Aviv are ‘confident’ of keeping Turgeman until the summer, with the Israeli top-flight side only willing to listen to offers around €7million (£5.8m) this month. That price-tag is expected to drop significantly come summer, with suggestions the forward could be signed for as little as €4m (£3.3m).
That drop in price is down to the ease with which Maccabi Tel Aviv believe they can sign a replacement in the summer window, with plans already in place to sign Guy Melamed as a free agent, once his Hapoel Haifa contract expires. The Israeli club are yet to receive an offer to Turgeman but interest is growing.
And the report notes particular interest from two unnamed teams in Spain, which they claim is Turgeman’s ‘preference’ in a blow to Leeds’ hopes of a summer deal. That is not to say a move would be impossible, however, with Maccabi Tel Aviv only ready to accept offers that meet their financial demands.
Leeds’ summer plans
It remains to be seen whether Leeds will firm up interest in Turgeman at the end of this season, with any summer activity set to change significantly depending on what league they’re in. The difference between Championship and Premier League recruitment is massive and failure to achieve promotion again this campaign will precede another difficult off-season in West Yorkshire.
Leeds lost arguably last season’s three best players to the Premier League last summer with Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville joining Tottenham, Brighton and West Ham respectively for a combined £108m. Failure to win promotion will likely lead to another summer in which sales are at the forefront, but a return to the Premier League will almost certainly be the catalyst for investment.
In a recent Q&A session on the YEP’s website, chief football writer Graham Smyth offered his assessment of Leeds’ summer outlook if promotion is won: “The gap is huge and to overcome it Leeds will need significant investment and serious, intelligent recruitment. The jury is out on whether this current form of Farkeball would work well enough in the Premier League against teams who will either have the ball more than you or take care of it so precisely that they will hurt you on the counter. He would need more Premier League level players, that much is certain.”