Everton's £25m deal is a good indicator for Leeds and their bid for Shea Charles

Leeds United are interested in Shea Charles as they refresh ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The Northern Irishman shone in the Championship for Southampton last term, naturally prompting interest as a result.

The Saints feel that they should be in the top flight themselves, after being thrown out of the playoffs due to the spying scandal.

Thanks to this, Leeds are in pole position to land Charles this summer.

The Whites have already had an offer of £20million knocked back, though Southampton do remain keen on doing a deal with the West Yorkshire club.

And after the latest reveal surrounding Everton, Leeds have seen the evidence to know that Charles is someone they should be spending the money on.

Leeds indirectly told that Shea Charles fee is correct

Everton have been admirers of Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney for some time.

Now, The Telegraph's John Percy reports that the Toffees are moving closer to getting a deal done, worth £25m.

With Leeds' offer for Charles recently rebuffed, the Southampton star is set to be worth around the same figure as Hackney.

Both are midfielder coming out of the Championship, and both shone for their respective promotion candidate last term.

It may not be ideal to recruit a player from the second tier for so much, but Leeds now have all the evidence they need to see that Charles may just be worth it.

Leeds will have to make a big choice sooner rather than later

By the end of last season, Daniel Farke's side looked every bit alike a seasoned Premier League outfit.

And that, is exactly what they want to be.

The catch is that if they do want to hit levels higher than fighting relegation, the Whites will have to spend like an ambitious side.

Last summer, smart recruitment kept Leeds in the top flight. But as they future-proof the squad, making signings of Charles' ilk, even if for a higher cost, will come with huge long-term benefits.

With bags of current ability and potential, Charles would be a signing for the here and now, and Leeds have been shown what they need to see to go and get that deal done.