Norwich City twist on Leeds United, Marseille target Jon Rowe | OneFootball

Leeds United transfer target Jon Rowe withdrew from Norwich City's squad ahead of their opening day fixture against Oxford United.

Norwich City winger Jon Rowe decided to withdraw from the Canaries' squad ahead of their opening day fixture against Oxford United, amid transfer interest from Leeds United and Marseille.

Journalist Connor Southwell reported that Rowe made the decision to withdraw from the squad this morning, prior to Norwich's Championship curtain-raiser against Oxford United.

The 21-year-old is the subject of a bid from Ligue 1 side Marseille, who are now managed by former Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi, while promotion rivals Leeds United are also interested in the promising attacker.

Leeds' interest emerged following Crysencio Summerville's move to West Ham United, with Daniel Farke apparently keen to raid his former club to replace the 2023/24 Championship Player of the Season.

Rowe's future is unclear, but after his decision not to play for Norwich in their first game of the new season, speculation that he is set for a move away from Carrow Road will only increase.

Jon Rowe action amid Leeds United and Marseille

Marseille have made an opening bid to sign Rowe, as reported by Sky Sports Transfer Centre Live (09/08, 22:44), but their offer is short of Norwich's valuation, with talks set to continue between the two clubs as the French side look to strike a deal.

It has also been reported that Leeds are still keen on agreeing a deal to sign Rowe, despite Norwich's intentions to keep hold of the player during the current transfer window.

Now that it has been revealed Rowe decided to withdraw from the Canaries' squad for today's game after a meeting with Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup, the chances of him staying at Carrow Road must have reduced.

Leeds and Marseille will be encouraged by the latest developments, and will likely ramp up their efforts to sign the player while his head has seemingly been turned.

Rowe's contract at Carrow Road is set to expire next summer, with the option for an extra year, but if a suitable offer is made which matches Norwich's valuation before the end of the transfer window, he could move on.

In an ideal world, Norwich would surely prefer to sell Rowe to Marseille rather than a potential promotion rival in Leeds, but the Whites will still have confidence that they can get a deal over the line, especially considering they received substantial fees for the sale of Summerville, Luis Sinisterra, Glen Kamara and Archie Gray.

Jon Rowe has impressed for Norwich

Since breaking into the first team at Norwich while they were in the Premier League during the 2021/22 season, Rowe has gone on to establish himself as one of the club's most important players.

He helped the Canaries reach the Championship play-offs last season, where they were comprehensively beaten by Leeds over two legs in the semi-final - a result which cost David Wagner his job.

Rowe is an exciting, direct winger who has endeared himself to the Norwich fans with his performances on the pitch and his personality off it, often engaging with supporters on social media.

There is no doubt that Rowe's decision to withdraw from the squad will have disappointed a lot of those supporters, and it will be interesting to see which club he is playing for after the transfer window closes.