Leeds United have made a £20million bid for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles.
The offer for the Northern Ireland international is understood to include further add-ons.
Leeds, who are also pursuing free agent Julian Brandt, formerly of Borussia Dortmund, and Fulham forward Harry Wilson who is also out of contract, are looking to add depth and quality to their squad.
Charles has also been on Manchester United’s radar as he was signed by their sporting director Jason Wilcox from Manchester City in a £15m deal, while he was at Southampton.
Everton and Atalanta have also checked on Charles in recent months. The 22-year-old thought he had scored the winning goal in the play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough only for his club to be excluded from the final on the back of Spygate, as exclusively revealed by Daily Mail Sport.
Leeds tied down captain Ethan Ampadu to a new long-term deal and also want to sign Manchester United target Karl Darlow to a new contract. They also want a centre back with Borussia Monchengladbach’s Nico Elvedi on their radar.
Leeds United have made a £20million bid for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles
Leeds also revived talks with Sporting Lisbon’s Hidemasa Morita, the 30-year-old Japan international, who is available on a free.
However, Charles suits their profile as they look to bring in younger, homegrown players who have greater re-sale value as well as the ability to improve their squad immediately.
Charles, a tidy, technical holding player who has the legs to break forward, has also attracted attention from abroad with his performances for Northern Ireland.
Following his composed display against France earlier this month, Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill stated that Charles’s disciplined performance against elite opposition proved that the Southampton midfielder is ‘ready for the top level’.
