Where Fulham's £24m Shea Charles bid leaves Leeds United as exit accelerates
Leeds United's stance on a fresh move for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles is about to become a lot clearer.
MOT Leeds News reported earlier this month how Leeds have had three bids rejected for Charles.
The Northern Ireland international was considered a priority target for the Whites at the start of the window.
Leeds have since confirmed the free agent signing of forward Harry Wilson, plus the £34.1million signing of centre-back Tarik Muharemovic.
A new central midfielder is still wanted at Elland Road, although links with Charles have gone quiet since the third bid was rejected.
We are now about to see exactly where Leeds stand amid news of an offer coming in from fellow Premier League side Fulham.
Fulham ready to pounce on Leeds uncertainty for Shea Charles
Charles is one of the highest-rated players in the Championship, where he has been a regular for the past three seasons.
The one-time Manchester City ace is valued at £25m by Southampton, plus add-ons.
According to an update via the Daily Mail on Tuesday night, Fulham are ready to offer £24m for Charles.
The report details how Leeds have fallen short with each of their offers, with separate outlets suggesting the third of those was around £23m.
Leeds now know they face serious competition for the 22-year-old, and the time for any further deliberating is over.
If Leeds are to miss out on a player Daniel Farke clearly wants for the sake of £2m, that will not go down well.
One way or another, we are about to see whether Charles remains a target for Leeds as a new bid will need to be forthcoming imminently.
If not Charles, then who for Leeds?
Charles is a defensive midfielder by trade, albeit one who can play more advanced and be used as a box-to-box player.
If the Whites steer away from the Northern Irishman, Sheffield United's Gus Hamer might be another option for Leeds.
Parma's Mandela Keita is another to have been touted as a target for Leeds of late, but the interest in both is not as serious as it has been in Charles.
The truth is that supporters grew excited by the growing links with Charles, so to miss out now, especially to Fulham if that happens, would leave a sour taste in the mouth.