Leeds United set to miss out on Brighton left-back Zak Sturge to Chelsea
Leeds United are set to miss out on Brighton and Hove Albion’s young left-back Zak Sturge with the 18-year-old set to sign for Chelsea, according to 90min
90min reported on Tuesday 28 June that Leeds along with Tottenham and Brentford are all interested in the left-back.
However, it appears that Chelsea are winning the race for the much sought-after youth talent.
Sturge featured 19 times for Brighton’s Under-18 side in the 2021/22 season as well as three appearances for their under-23 side.
Leeds love youth
It comes as absolutely no surprise to see Leeds United linked with the youngster given the under-23 recruitment policy that is present at Elland Road.
Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta are focussed on securing first-team signings at present, however, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the club hierarchy add to their impressive pool of young talent in the coming weeks and months.
The under-23 set-up at Elland Road has seen the likes of Joe Gelhardt, Lewis Bater and Pascal Struijk all go on to make an impression in the first team.
Regardless of the Whites missing out on Sturge, it is encouraging to see Leeds continuously linked to youth prospects.
Signing younger players, developing them and then selling them on for a larger fee has proven to be a sustainable model for many clubs and is one that is being seemingly adopted at Elland Road.
Leeds’ fans will still be hoping for a number of first-team additions to come through the door, with Marsch potentially having to replace Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha in the coming weeks.
In other Leeds United news, the club have now opened talks with an ‘Incredible’ title-winning central midfielder to replace Kalvin Phillips.