Looking to comply with the Championship’s profit and sustainability rules, Leeds United are reportedly set to sell an academy graduate who isn’t Archie Gray, with a medical already booked in.
Leeds transfer news
It’s been a frustrating couple of months at Elland Road. First, Leeds missed out on promotion at the final hurdle after suffering defeat in the play-off final against Southampton and it looked as if they were left with little choice but to sell Gray this summer. He was reportedly closing in on a summer switch to Premier League side Brentford in a deal worth £35m, but there’s since been a twist.
Daniel Farke’s side do look on course to sell another academy graduate, though. According to Adam Pope, Leeds are set to sell Charlie Creswell to Toulouse this summer in a deal worth just under £4m, with a medical already scheduled to take place as soon as next week.
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This would be a frustrating blow for the Whites.
The 21-year-old will leave having never really been handed a consistent opportunity at Elland Road despite impressing in a loan spell at Millwall in the Championship. Now moving on to Ligue 1, the young central defender will hope to finally make his mark on senior football again in a deal that should at least help Leeds to avoid potential PSR sanctions next season.
Whilst Cresswell’s exit won’t quite steal the same headlines that Gray’s would’ve, it still represents the consequences that Leeds are facing after failing to regain their place in the Premier League at the first time of asking.
“Aggressive” Cresswell needs Leeds exit
Limited to just nine appearances in all competitions last season, there’s no doubt that Cresswell needs the move to Toulouse this summer. Under Farke at Leeds, his opportunity looked increasingly unlikely to come and as a young centre-back, he needs the same minutes he used to thrive on loan at Millwall during the 2022/23 season.
Earning the praise of Gary Rowett as a result, the then-Millwall boss said via South London Press: “He’s been brought up really well with a real hunger for work-rate. He’s an aggressive boy who wants to fight, I think that’s why Millwall was something they were very, very keen on even though they had some very good other options.
“A loan player wants to know they’ll get a fair chance and what you’re offering is actually what it says on the tin – not just to try and get the player into our club. He’s not going to be our player at the end of it, he’s going to be Leeds’ player, so we’ve got to do the best job we can along the way.”
Now seemingly handed the opportunity to step up to top-flight football courtesy of Toulouse, Cresswell must take hold of his chance to prove Farke wrong next summer.
