Leeds United are still in talks to sign Shea Charles this summer, and the midfielder’s location has been identified as Southampton weigh up our approach.
Leeds have a statement second piece of business about to be wrapped up in the form of Tarik Muharemovic joining from Sassuolo for £34million.
It’s a deal that’s moved incredibly fast in the past week. On the other end of the spectrum, the snail-pace talks with Southampton over Shea Charles continue.
Shea Charles pictured back in Southampton pre-season training as Leeds United talks continue
Leeds’ most recent offer for the Northern Ireland international reportedly amounted to around £23million with add-ons on top.
The Saints’ stance on that approach was that it still fell short of their valuation. Tonda Eckert’s club are driving a hard bargain for the Whites target.
Now, as Leeds await final clarity on whether we will reach an agreement on Charles, the 22-year-old is all smiles as he reports back for pre-season on the south coast.
Reports have previously suggested this week that Southampton are resigned to losing Charles, given the volume of interest from Leeds and others.
Shea Charles working hard as Leeds United speculation rumbles on
Breaking news: Man turns up for job he’s paid to do.
Of course, it’s something of a non-update that Charles has returned for pre-season on schedule. But, it’s confirmation that he’s not doing anything toxic to secure an exit.
He’s not kicking up a fuss, refusing to train, and forcing Southampton’s hand. That professionalism is expected, but also good to see.
Given that we’ve landed two priority signings, I’m happy for Leeds to be patient regarding Charles. He’s not a priority, but he’s also not stopping us doing the business we need to do, such as signing: a centre-back, goalkeeper, and more attackers.
Again, I won’t lose sleep if we walk away from this one. Simultaneously, I’ll be very happy if we do find an agreement.
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