Shea Charles ‘wants to join’ Leeds as talks continue | OneFootball

Leeds United are in negotiations with Southampton to sign Shea Charles, with an initial £20m bid rejected but confidence remaining that an agreement can be found. He would be their first addition of the summer.

TeamTalk reports that Charles has told his representatives he wants to join Leeds this summer, keen to test himself in the Premier League after Southampton missed out on promotion.

Southampton are seeking a higher fee and discussions are continuing. Leeds did not go beyond the £20m mark on any of their 10 signings last summer, but may need to this time.

With the player open and Southampton willing to sell at the right price, progress depends on Leeds increasing their opening offer in the coming days.

The move is likely linked to uncertainty around Ilia Gruev, who finished the season on crutches. It is unclear if he will be fit to start pre-season, and with his contract running to 2027 he is a candidate to leave. Should Charles arrive, Gruev would be behind Charles and Ethan Ampadu in the holding role.

Source: Leedsunited.news