Leeds United transfer 'hope' revealed as Southampton receive fresh Shea Charles bid | OneFootball

A new and improved third offer has been made by Leeds United in their pursuit of signing Southampton midfielder Shea Charles this summer...

Leeds United have made a third attempt to sign Southampton midfielder Shea Charles amid interest from Crystal Palace growing in the 22-year-old.

Shea Charles had to contend with both Caspar Jander and Flynn Downes for minutes at the base of midfield for Southampton last season, but the Northern Ireland international managed 38 games in 2025/26, including 24 starts.

He scored six goals and claimed two assists, having scored just one club goal and one international goal prior to impressing for the Saints. Goals in big games in the cups against Liverpool and Arsenal were followed up by scoring the winner against Middlesbrough in the play-off second leg.

The midfielder has become more of an all-rounder after being more of a ball-winner for Sheffield Wednesday and his early seasons for the Saints, with it being clear to see why Premier League clubs are interested in securing the 22-year-old's services for 2026/27.

Leeds United make third attempt to sign Southampton's Shea Charles

Action Images

Given his contract situation, Southampton are possibly on their "last chance" to sell Charles for decent money. Plenty of clubs are reportedly keen, with Rangers, Man United, and Everton are all registering interest in Charles this summer.

There are others, too, with Crystal Palace also keen on Charles and having signed numerous key players via the Championship in the last few years. That pathway has been productive for the Eagles.

Leeds joined the Charles race the latest but also the hardest after firming up their interest in the form of a bid for Southampton's midfielder. That initial offer was knocked back but Leeds have seemingly not given up.

A second bid was made by Leeds to Southampton before it was revealed recently that Palace were stepping up their attempts to sign Charles ahead of Daniel Farke's side.

Simon Jones of The Daily Mail has since revealed a third offer has been placed by Leeds. He states that a bid of £23 million plus add-ons has been made to Southampton, with Manchester City understood to have a 15% sell-on clause.

He adds that Leeds hope the extra add-ons can help towards a compromise agreement after it has been stated that Southampton will push for £30 million for Charles recently.

Leeds United supporters react to latest Shea Charles bid to Southampton

Action Images

It appears most Leeds fans believe that the fee for Charles is about right now, with many expecting this third bid to be enough to seal the move. Many took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to the breaking story from Simon Jones.

A further reply on X read: "If they don’t accept that then we have to move on #lufc"

If it is not enough for Leeds to agree to a deal with Southampton, then there is every chance Crystal Palace hijack the deal for Charles in the coming days instead.