Leeds United transfer update: Rangers beaten to snap up six-figure permanent Josh McDonald deal
Leeds United have beaten Rangers to the punch to land “explosive talent” Josh McDonald from Hamilton Academical, according to the Daily Mail.
Despite the Whites’ Premier League status still hanging in the balance they have moved to land the 16-year-old midfielder from the Scottish side.
A £150,000 deal has been secured for the Scotland under-16s international, stealing in ahead of the Ibrox giants in the process.
Scouting staff rate the teenage prospect highly and the pursuit went ahead despite first-team transfer business being on hold during the relegation battle.
Success
The news comes the same day as head of recruitment for ages 12-16 Lyndon Tomlinson’s departure at the end of the season came to light, so could be the former Manchester United man’s parting gift.
It is a rare piece of positive news in a sea of disfunction recently, with the raft of departures within the hierarchy, of which Tomlinson is set to join, coming at a time when a proposed move for Hearts’ 16-year-old forward James Wilson failed with a late new deal in Edinburgh.
Following the exits of Javi Gracia and Victor Orta the expected signing of Barcelona teenager Illias Akhomach also collapsed, so getting a deal done for McDonald is a welcome move.
Leeds United are in need of more options in central midfield, with Tyler Adam’s absence laying bare a major problem in the first team.
Despite Weston McKennie’s and Marc Roca’s struggles respectively, successive managers have been reluctant to turn to youngsters such as Darko Gyabi or Archie Gray, and veteran Adam Forshaw only just got back into the starting line up with the arrival of Sam Allardyce.
So if McDonald is going to be pushing to graduate from the Thorp Arch set up in the coming years there will need to be a clear pathway to the first team.
Although the quickest way for that pathway to open up at the moment is something that fans are desperately hoping to avoid, with multiple exits on the cards if the Whites drop into the Championsip.
In other Leeds United news, an Elland Road mystery has come to an end with few answers amid yet another departure from the club.