Glasgow Rangers were reportedly keen to bring Kyle Bartley to Ibrox earlier in the window, while another of his former clubs were reportedly keen.
For a long time this summer, it had appeared that Kyle Bartley would be rejoining one of his former clubs, with Rangers and Leeds both heavily linked with the centre-back at various stages throughout the window.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reported that Bartley was a top target for Leeds having played an integral role in nearly guiding the Whites to the Championship play-off places while on loan in 2016/17, while The Scottish Sun suggested that Rangers boss Steven Gerrard had hoped to bring the 27-year-old to Ibrox during this window as he targeted a major overhaul of his squad.
Interestingly however, it appears that Bartley will not be in Leeds’ or Rangers’ squad for next season as The Sun reported over the weekend that he is closing in on a move to West Brom.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reported that Bartley wanted to return to Leeds but contact dried up last month, while Rangers, according to The Scottish Sun, decided to pursue other targets and have since signed Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic.
How Bartley has ended up moving to The Hawthorns may leave some Whites and Gers supporters scratching their heads, but perhaps there is a slight hint behind the reason regarding the pair’s apparent loss of interest in the fee that the Baggies are reportedly set to pay for the Swansea ace.
According to The Sun, West Brom are going to pay a fee that could ultimately rise to £7 million. There is no concrete reason to believe that this may have put Leeds or Rangers off, but perhaps reports hint that that may have been more than what either club was willing to pay.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reported in May that Leeds had hoped that they would be able to sign Bartley for £4 million, so perhaps the two sides decided that they were not willing to offer terms that could ultimately see Swansea earn £7 million. The fact that Leeds’ interest cooled after Bielsa’s appointment also hints that the new head coach was less convinced about a deal than the club had previously been.
If that was the case, then time will tell whether that was a smart decision. But right now, Andrea Radrizzani undoubtedly now needs to pull something serious out of the bag as Leeds await their second signing of the summer and their first capable of strengthening the defence. For Rangers, their two centre-back signings make their need much less urgent.
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