MOT View: Bielsa gives green light for exciting eight-figure Leeds summer transfer
Leeds have already started planning for life in the Premier League – although there’s no complacency at the club and an acknowledgment that there’s still a way to go.
However, planning for future transfers never stops and one player who will be at Elland Road permanently if Leeds do get promoted is Jack Harrison.
The Man City winger has spent the last two seasons on loan at Elland Road and, according to Football Insider, Leeds will trigger the option they have on the player in the summer if they’re in the top flight.
The report claims that Bielsa is a “huge admirer” of Harrison and sees him as a big part of the club’s future.
Helder Costa will become a permanent Leeds player whether the club wins promotion or not for £15m. Leeds also have an obligation to buy Jean-Kevin Augustin, for a fee said to be £20m, but that is dependent on promotion.
Given these fees, the £10m that Football Insider are quoting for Harrison make him a real bargain and an exciting purchase for Leeds.
The Sun said last summer that Man City valued him at between £15-£20m and that Premier League sides were interested in signing him.
Harrison has pushed further on this season, with five goals and six assists, and although he can still frustrating in the final third, he’s much more consistent than he was last season.
At 23, he’s just entering his peak years and we feel there’s a lot more to come from the winger.
If he’s still with Leeds for a third season it means that Bielsa has finally got the club back into the top-flight.
That’s not looking as nailed on as it was before Christmas, when Leeds enjoyed a double-digit points buffer back to third.
Talking on BBC Radio Leeds, CEO Angus Kinnear said the club is slightly behind where they want to be in the push for the Premier League.
Kinnear said they had targetted two points a game, with Leeds currently on 55 points after 30 games.
60 points would have seen Leeds at the top of the league with an eight-point buffer back to Fulham in third.
In other Leeds United news, Jim White asks Kemar Roofe if he regrets leaving; ex-striker delivers Leeds promotion verdict