Reported £7m Leeds United target subject of fresh contract push - League champions are desperate to keep him
Leeds United have been freshly linked with interest in the two-time title winner.
Sporting CP have reportedly made fresh attempts to keep Hidemasa Morita beyond this summer amid links to Leeds United.
Morita emerged as a possible target for Leeds in April, with Portuguese newspaper Record naming Elland Road as a possible destination for the midfielder, if he calls time on a three-year spell in Lisbon. A four-year contract is now into its final year and despite attempts from Sporting to extend, a new deal is yet to be agreed and the Japan international’s future remains up in the air.
Record claimed last month Leeds were ‘well-placed’ to pursue Morita following their Championship title win, with suggestions he could be available for less than £7m. And now another national Portuguese outlet, A Bola, reports on Sporting’s continued, albeit so far fruitless, attempts to keep him.
Morita is believed to be keen on a fresh challenge, with a specific desire to test himself in the Premier League having only previously played in Japan and Portugal. As such, the 30-year-old is said to have rejected previous contract offers leaving Sporting with a decision to make this summer, either to sell up or risk losing their midfielder for free in 12 month’s time.
A Bola state that Morita’s stance has not changed, despite claiming a second consecutive Portuguese top-flight title and the Portuguese cup last month. But the report claims Sporting have made fresh attempts to tie the reported Leeds target down to a new contract ‘in recent days’.
Regardless of whether Morita signs a new contract or not, the report adds that Sporting will not be forced into accepting a cut-price fee for their player, even if it risks a free transfer next year. That snippet might suggest A Bola got their information from the club, who will of course be keen to purvey a strong stance if clubs like Leeds want to open transfer talks.
Leeds United could repeat familiar transfer trick
Sporting might be minded to appear stubborn in their stance on Morita, given Leeds’ recent success in taking advantage of similar contract situations. Elland Road chiefs have snapped up bargain deals for the likes of Jayden Bogle and Ao Tanaka, who joined for a combined £8m last summer, by leaning on the uncertainty of a contract within its final year.
Particularly with those who reject extension offers, selling clubs are vulnerable to offers below a player’s market value due to the risk of receiving nothing 12 months down the line. And alongside Morita, links ahead of this summer in a similar situation include Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff and Brentford-bound Caoimhín Kelleher.
While Leeds may well have a keen eye on Morita’s situation, they are unlikely to rush into any such signings with the best part of three months to construct their Premier League squad. Recruitment chiefs will have been hard at work identifying possible targets ever since last summer’s window closed, with efforts intensifying once promotion was confirmed.
There is also the fact any business done on or before June 30 would have to go into Leeds’ 2024/25 financial accounts, effectively coming on top of last summer’s transfer outlay which was significant for a Championship side. From July onwards, however, things are expected to kick into gear with reinforcements needed across the board.
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