Angus Gunn should prefer Leeds switch over £15m Southampton move

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Leeds United and Southampton are seemingly fighting over Angus Gunn if reports are to be believed.

With the Yorkshire Evening Post reporting that Leeds wanted Angus Gunn before Marcelo Bielsa arrived at Elland Road, and The Sun reporting earlier this week that Pep Guardiola is ready to help the new Whites boss by sending some of Manchester City’s brightest youngsters to Yorkshire, it did appear that all signs were pointing towards the goalkeeper moving to Leeds on a season-long loan this summer.

However, a very large spanner appears to have been thrown into the works since the latest of those reports emerged, with Goal now suggesting that Southampton have begun talks with the Cityzens over a potential £15 million permanent deal for the stopper.

Gunn looks destined for an extremely bright career at the highest level, so it is little surprise that Southampton appear to be seriously keen on pursuing a deal. But perhaps, if Gunn has a choice regarding where he goes this summer, his preference should actually be to head to Leeds.

As impressive as Bailey Peacock-Farrell was last season, there have to be concerns regarding whether he is ready to be the Whites’ number one on a permanent basis, and thus, there is definitely a real opportunity for Gunn to go there for a year and establish himself even more after his promising loan at Norwich City.

Meanwhile, the Daily Echo have confirmed that Alex McCarthy has signed a new four-year deal at St Mary’s. McCarthy was arguably one of the most impressive performers between the sticks anywhere in the Premier League last season and it would be a huge surprise if Mark Hughes planned to immediately replace him as number one now that he has been handed a new long-term deal.

Of course, the Saints may have plans to gradually move Gunn into the first-choice role in the future, but if McCarthy continues to perform like he did last time, it could be a fairly frustrating time to begin his spell on the south coast.

Sticking with City for one more year and heading to Leeds on loan perhaps hands the youngster the best chance of immediate, regular first-team football at a decent level, so unless he receives assurances that the number one spot at St Mary’s is his to begin with, he should seriously consider Elland Road to be the better destination for him for the coming year.