By Nick Ware

4th Jul, 2021 | 5:30pm

Leeds United set to avoid tribunal over Wigan Athletic midfielder Sean McGurk

Leeds United are closing in on the signing of Wigan Athletic midfielder Sean McGurk without the need for a tribunal, according to Alan Nixon.

The Sun journalist made the claim on his personal Twitter profile on Sunday afternoon.

He wrote: “Leeds. The long-awaited McGurk deal should be done okay. Don’t think it will need a tribunal either…”

Finally

This is a deal that has been in the offing for a long time, and one that Nixon has consistently reported on since last summer.

Paul Joyce, northern football correspondent for The Times, also reported this week that a deal was on the verge of completion, though he tweeted that the transfer “may yet be settled by a tribunal”.

McGurk’s contract at Wigan expired earlier this week [Wednesday, June 30], but under rules relating to players under the age of 24, the Latics are due compensation for contributions towards his development and training.

Joyce claimed a fee of around £175,000 had been discussed between the two clubs over the 18-year-old, so it would seem likely that the eventual figure will be somewhere around that amount if things have progressed at a rapid rate and without the need for a tribunal to decide.

Avoiding the tribunal route is the best option for the sides as it means they don’t have to splash out on legal fees and all the costs that come with that.

Wigan obviously feel that they are getting a fair deal, certainly one that could be as good as it gets, while the Whites will be spending a relatively insignificant sum of money to strengthen their already impressive Under-23s side that won the Premier League 2 (Divison 2) last season.

In other Leeds United news, the Whites are in the hunt to sign this EUROs semi-final sensation who wowed Micah Richards in June.