Leeds United remain at the table for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles but are unafraid to move onto other targets if they believe the pursuit will ultimately come up fruitless.
The Whites are thought to be frontrunners for the 22-year-old and discussions remain active. However, they will not be bullied into going beyond what they deem is a fair price, not just with Charles but any transfer pursuit, and will walk away if they believe talks have turned futile.
Reports suggest Leeds have tabled a number of bids during their discussions with Southampton, but no agreement has yet been reached as of Tuesday morning. The Championship side are said to want to push for a figure closer to £30m.
Regardless, it seems likely that Charles leaves St Mary’s this summer. However, speculation linking Crystal Palace - who have just tied down Daichi Kamada to a new contract - and Fulham appear questionable, and at worst may well be absent of substance.
Nevertheless, as with any transfer pursuit, such rumours serve to hike the price of a player - in this case, Charles - amid the inference of a bidding battle. But with Squad Cost Ratio rules leaving Leeds with slightly tighter spending margins this summer, the club must be diligent with the allocation of funds.
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It is meanwhile true that the more time that passes, the more likely it is that rival clubs do formally stake a challenge for Charles, who has 35 caps for Northern Ireland. Generally, the transfer market is expected to accelerate upon the conclusion of the World Cup on Sunday.
Leeds currently have five senior natural midfield options at their disposal, including captain Ethan Ampadu - who signed a new long-term deal last month, Anton Stach, Ao Tanaka and Sean Longstaff.
The club will need to make a renewal decision on midfield pivot Ilia Gruev, who only has 12 months left on his current contract. He was spotted back with Leeds for the first day of pre-season on Monday, having suffered a season-ending meniscus knee injury in April.
Brenden Aaronson - a natural number 10 who can drop back into midfield - also has a year left on his deal. Joel Piroe has reported for pre-season as he enters the final 12 months of his deal, but has an optional year-long extension - albeit is widely expected to leave this window.
Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe has been clear and open about the fact that sales will be made this summer, with Pascal Struijk’s £18m exit to Brighton & Hove Albion the first to have been sanctioned.
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