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Planned contract talks between Leeds United and Jack Harrison have “not progressed” because the winger is putting them off until the season ends, according to Mo Ibrahim.
The Englishman was within a few hours of completing a deadline day move to Leicester City on 31 January before the Whites called him back from the Foxes training ground at the last minute, and the club had then planned to open negotiations.
Then manager Jesse Marsch was “keen” on keeping him but was sacked less than a week later (6 February), and the 26-year-old has now put the talks off until the summer when he will have just 12-months left.
Reporting via Twitter on Tuesday (14 May) Ibrahim, part of Gianluca Di Marzio‘s team, wrote: “Jack Harrison contract talks with Leeds United have not progressed yet. He is waiting for the season to finish.
“Leeds planned on opening talks after January fighting off interest from Leicester City and former manager Jesse Marsch was keen on keeping him at the club.”
Ominous
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This puts a lot more pressure on any talks that do materialise after the season concludes as it will be the last feasible opportunity for the club to receive anything like a decent transfer fee.
Even at that point he will have lost significant transfer value from both the January window and last summer when Newcastle wanted him, with the Whites planning to conclude a new deal before the turn of the year at that point [Northern Echo, 20 September].
It is possible that the hold up is as simple as the former Manchester City man wanting to wait until the outcome of the relegation battle is determined.
But there would have been nothing stopping a new deal being worked out during the season with a clause inserted for the eventually the club doesn’t escape the drop.
The handling of Harrison this season is almost as strange as his fluctuating form, as he started the campaign in spectacular fashion amid the Newcastle interest, where they had been demanding over £40million [Telegraph, 22 August].
Yet by January they sent him to Leicester at the end of the window and were ready to accept £20million before changing their minds.
His form has been a long way short of top level for weeks but he has kept his place in the side under both Marsch and Javi Gracia, and scored at both ends in the 2-2 draw with Brighton on Saturday (11 March).
In other Leeds United news, a pundit is baffled by the “really strange” Whites after what he has seen with two key players.
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