Leeds United transfers as 'promise' made to land Manchester United star & son of ex-Wales striker
Another promising academy youngster looks set to switch Manchester United for Leeds United.
Leeds United are reportedly close to signing a second Manchester United youngster this year amid reports of a professional contract promise.
The Whites welcomed Serbian midfielder Edward Ibrovic-Fletcher across the Pennines in February on a deal running until 2028. The 17-year-old, who was actually born in Leeds, has since become a regular at Under-18 level and even made five Premier League 2 appearances for the Under-21s.
Leeds now look set to pluck one of Ibrovic-Fletcher’s former teammates from the Manchester United academy. The Manchester Evening News reports that young forward Silva Mexes is expected to make a move across to West Yorkshire.
Mexes is still only 16 but, according to the report, has been ‘promised’ a professional contract when he turns 17 in March next year. The forward has been with Manchester United since aged 14, joining them from Ipswich Town, but he was unable to break into the U18s set up last season.
A Thai youth international, Mexes is the son of former Wales international Robert Earnshaw, who plied his trade as a striker for the likes of Cardiff City, Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion. He now looks set to become the latest youth prospect to swap Manchester for Leeds.
Alongside Ibrovic-Fletcher, Leeds also recently welcomed Jayden Lienou across from Manchester City. The left-back signed a three-year deal at Thor Arch and has become an instant hit with Scott Gardner’s U21s.
Lienou played 37 games for the U21s across all competitions last season and impressed enough to earn a place in Daniel Farke’s first-team matchday squad during two of the last three Premier League gameweeks. The 18-year-old also earned a surprise call-up to the Welsh senior squad this month.
Leeds United youth plans revealed by Paraag Marathe
Speaking to the YEP and other local outlets recently, Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe was quizzed on plans for the development of youth talent. He said: "I talked to Daniel about this just the other day, and I talk to Robbie [Evans] and Adam [Underwood] about it all the time, but for a club like us, there's no doubt that for us to be competitive and sustainable, we've got to be able to churn out young players.
"Whether it's through the academy or finding them somewhere else and signing them and developing them. I don't want to praise individual certain other clubs, but there are clubs that have done a great job of staying sustainable and very competitive by doing just that.
"And we're not in the category where we can just throw and splash money around, and if we splash money at one player, if it doesn't work out, don't worry, just splash money again at the same position. We don't have the luxury of being able to miss like that. And so we have to be really good at developing young players. And you know the recent history, we haven't had those jumps of players [come through].
"But you've got young Harry Gray that's chomping at the bit to come in. You've got other guys. You've got Jayden. So we've got young players, but no doubt we need more and we need to develop them. And developing them means they've got to play, too. They've got to get minutes."