Leeds United could close Weston McKennie deal Monday after £26million plus bonuses offer to Juventus
Weston McKennie may miss Juventus’ game on Sunday with a feeling now that a deal with Leeds United could be closed a day later, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Sky Sports Italy journalist reported on his website that a small increase was offered from Elland Road was put on the table Thursday night (26 January), from €28million [£24.6million] to €30million [£26.3million] plus bonuses.
The Whites apparently don’t fear competition on the market, despite reports that Arsenal have made a sizeable bid themselves [La Repubblica, 25 January].
Juve had been looking to recoup €35million [£30.7million], but the latest increase appears to have set Leeds on the way to securing the move late in the window on Monday (30 January) and McKennie may now miss Sunday’s match against Monza.
Di Marzio wrote Thursday night: “It will take a few days, but the feeling is that he could close on Monday and, if the discussion continues, McKennie might not even play on Sunday.”
Over the hump
It sounds like a positive move but a full four days at the end of a transfer window is more than enough time for anything to happen.
A number of sides in the Premier League, in addition to Arsenal, have been named as interested in the American midfielder, with Aston Villa and Bournemouth also holding talks with his agent [Fabrizio Romano, 25 January] so they could still come in with a strong offer.
But with personal terms already agreed between Leeds United and McKennie it certainly feels like the club are slowly but surely closing in on a deal which would be a significant bonus at the end of the month.
Signing Max Wober to help out the defence soon after the window opened was a strong start, and few would have expected the Whites to break their transfer record this January, but they did so for Georginio Rutter.
And now it looks like Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson may be getting their international teammate through the door as well.
On paper that all sounds excellent but Jesse Marsch is going to need to work his formations and team selections accordingly to get the results all this money is being spent on to move away from the relegation zone.
In other Leeds United news, another player is now set to leave Elland Road on loan after an agreement was finally reached.