Leeds United defender Charlie Taylor looks to be on his way out of Elland Road this summer, but perhaps an enticing offer could persuade him to stay.
Leeds United’s Charlie Taylor
Since Leeds defender Charlie Taylor submitted a transfer request last summer (via Guardian), it has seemed that his departure from Elland Road was inevitable at some stage with the left-back heading into the final year of his contract. But while Taylor is still a Whites player, fans may hold out some hope that he may yet agree a new deal.
When Taylor submitted his request, Leeds were coming off a campaign where they had finished in the Championship’s bottom half for the fifth year in a row, so he would be forgiven for wondering what direction the club was going in.
However, Garry Monk has taken the Whites into the play-off places and they look to be on course to extend their season beyond the 46th game.
Some may feel that promotion to the Premier League may be enough to tempt the left-back to sign fresh terms, but if it is not, Leeds should take a gamble and offer Taylor an incredibly appealing contract.
As well as offering to make him one of the highest paid players at the club – which he arguably deserves given his quality – they should take a chance on offering a deal that includes a release clause as low as £10 million.
Taylor was attracting bids of £7 million in January (via Guardian), so it would not be too great a jump for interested clubs to trigger that release clause, but it would surely also be more than what the club would get if his contract did expire and a tribunal fee was set.
And being safe in the knowledge that clubs would not need to pay a huge sum to sign him may help convince him to stay for the time-being if remaining at Leeds is one of the many options that are on the table in Taylor’s mind.
It would perhaps give him more time to see where Monk can take the team, and if he is happy with the direction, then perhaps it would be possible to agree a better deal for all parties further down the line.
With his contract set to run out, it certainly seems harmless to try.
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