Premier League boss 'a big fan' of Leeds United target as major rival emerges
Leeds United face Premier League competition in their pursuit of Joe Rodon this summer
Ipswich Town are reportedly keeping a close eye on Joe Rodon's situation this summer as he edges towards the exit door at Tottenham Hotspur. Rodon spent the season on loan at Leeds United and the Whites are widely known to be keen on signing up the Wales international permanently this summer if they are able to.
But, it would seem as though they are facing stiff competition for his signature with Premier League clubs said to be showing interest. Southampton are one club to have already been linked with a move for Rodon and after securing automatic promotion to the top flight, Ipswich Town could be interested as well.
That's according to Football.London's Alastair Gold, who claims Kieran McKenna is an admirer of the Welshman before speculating that a move to Portman Road could be an option. Rodon has one more season left to run on his Spurs contract but he doesn't feature in Ange Postecoglou's plans and will be allowed to leave permanently should a suitable offer be made.
The defender was made surplus to requirements last summer, which led to his switch to Leeds for the season and his form he showed in West Yorkshire ensures he is hot property leading into the summer. As a Championship club, United may well have their work cut out in trying to sign the centre-back, but if the player is given a choice to make, they would have every right to feel hopeful given Rodon's history at Elland Road and his relationship with the club and its supporters. After joining Leeds last August and making a brief debut in the loss to Birmingham City at St Andrew's, Rodon went on to make 50 appearances under Daniel Farke this season. The centre-back started all but four games in all competitions following his arrival at the club, too, with 44 consecutive starting XIs featuring the former Swansea City man.
As such, he was instrumental in Leeds' push for automatic and the subsequent play-off campaign, building up strong partnerships with Pascal Struijk and Ethan Ampadu. The latter relationship, between international teammates no less, came in the second half of the season as a run of 10 clean sheets in 13 games helped Leeds reach the summit of the division.
Unfortunately, his spell at Leeds ended in heartbreak at Wembley as Southampton pipped Leeds to promotion by winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley, but it's fair to say he made his mark at Elland Road. Rodon dropped out of Wales squad through injury this month, meaning he never featured in the disappointing friendlies against Gibraltar and Slovakia, which saw Rob Page criticised heavily, as Wales drew 0-0 and lost 4-0 respectively. With his lack of a future at Tottenham apparent, Rodon will surely be keen to seal his next move relatively quickly, allowing him to move on and prepare for the upcoming season properly with his new club.