Telegraph journalist: Leeds leading race to sign striker for £1.5m, rising to £3m with add-ons
The Leeds United deal to sign striker Sam Greenwood from Arsenal is £1.5m rising to £3m, according to Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath.
He said that Leeds are in pole position to sign the 18-year-old but that others are interested.
He claimed that both AC Milan and Man United have watched the England Under-18 international.
This is an interesting development that comes on the back of Athletic journalist Phil Hay saying that Leeds were set to sign Greenwood this week.
Hay, who’s a very reliable source of Leeds information, said that Leeds would be signing him for a six-figure sum.
McGrath has now claimed the deal is much more significant, with a £1.5m fee up-front and potentially double that if he goes on to hit clauses.
That’s more in line with what Arsenal fans said they wanted for him if he was going to be sold.
However, he’s also said that the deal isn’t as far down the road as Hay said it was.
The draw of signing for Leeds would be a big one. The Under-23s are set to compete in Premier League 2 this season after the academy was awarded Cat One status.
Players like Joe Gelhardt and Cody Drameh have already chosen Leeds over other Premier League clubs this summer and the belief seems to be that there’s a clearer route through to the first team than other places.
That’s definitely the case at Arsenal, where Greenwood is way down the pecking order.
£1.5m for an 18-year-old with no senior experience is a lot of money but, if accurate, shows the ambition that Leeds have and the stock they’re putting in young players at the moment.
He’s had a lot of big teams after him in the past, with Juventus interested last summer – that was another story from McGrath.
In other Leeds United news, Club to meet striker replacement on Mon with Leeds in ‘firm talks’ over major deal – reports