Leeds United transfer blow as key rivals in 'advanced negotiations' for £26m target
Leeds United could be about to miss out on one of their early-summer transfer targets.
Leeds United transfer target Shea Charles is progressing towards a summer move with Fulham reportedly in ‘advanced negotiations’ for the Southampton midfielder.
Charles emerged as a target for Leeds last month with two bids sent to Southampton, the latter believed to be worth north of £20million. The Championship club rejected both offers and that news was promptly reported by a national newspaper.
Reports have since touted Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Fulham as potential rivals for Charles and with talks at a standstill, Leeds drew a line in the sand two weeks ago. The YEP understands Elland Road chiefs left a final bid at the table but would not go higher.
Leeds remained open to reigniting talks with Southampton and Charles but will hold firm on their valuation of the 23-year-old, which is believed to be short of the selling club’s reported £30m price-tag. But a move to one of the Whites’ Premier League rivals could now go ahead.
According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Fulham are in advanced negotiations with Southampton for Charles. Both clubs are said to be ‘working to resolve the final details before reaching a full agreement’, with a transfer fee of around €30m (£25.7m).
Personal terms are also said to be ‘almost agreed’ with Charles, who appears keen on a move to the Premier League following Southampton’s Championship play-off expulsion. The Northern Ireland international already has more than 100 second-tier appearances under his belt and looks ready for the next step.
Should Fulham complete a deal for Charles, it would mark another big summer arrival at Craven Cottage following their combined £42.8m double swoop of Real Madrid youngsters Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios. The Cottagers lost attacking pair Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson for free earlier this summer, the latter joining Leeds.
As yet, Leeds haven’t turned serious attention to any alternative midfield options with priority being given to other positions. Since drawing that line in negotiations for Charles, they have progressed in what will be a club-record £40m deal for Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford.
Leeds have five senior central midfielders on their books, four of which are fit with Ilia Gruev still recovering from a knee injury suffered last season. Ethan Ampadu recently signed a new four-year contract while Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff have impressed in pre-season. Ao Tanaka has struggled a little but remains a useful profile to have in the squad.