Title-chasing club won’t accept £7m Leeds bid as injuries threaten deal

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PSV Eindhoven currently have no plans to sell Philipp Max despite reports suggesting Leeds United are offering £7 million to take the German international to the Premier League, as reported by Eindhoven Dagblad. 

Max, by his own admission, fell some way short of his usually lofty standards last season. 

The swashbuckling left-back started just 21 Eredivisie matches while his tally of assists dropped from eight in 2020/21 to just three in 2021/22, a combination of COVID and poor form proving to be a rather damaging cocktail.

That does not appear to have put Leeds off, however. Tuttomercatoweb believe that the Yorkshire giants are willing to spend £7 million on a genuine set-piece specialist who finished behind only Thomas Muller in the Bundesliga’s assist-charts back a couple of years ago. 

Convincing PSV to sell, however, will be easier said than done. 

Leeds United want PSV’s Philipp Max

Reports coming out of the Netherlands today point out that, due to the defensive injuries hitting PSV hard ahead of the new campaign, the Dutch giants are in no rush to cash in on Max. The Eredivisie runners up also have a crucial Champions League qualifier against Monaco looming on the horizon. Not to mention this weekend’s Johan Cruyff Shield against rivals Ajax.

ED do add, however, that PSV could soften their stance later in the window. The versatile Phillipp Mwene and Mauro Junior should be back to full fitness by late-August, after all. Both of whom can play at left-back.

Nonetheless, Leeds will have to stump up an offer much larger than £7 million. PSV are holding out for what ED describe as a ‘mega amount’. 

Union Berlin of the Bundesliga have already seen their advances rebuffed for the former Augsburg flyer.  

And it seems unlikely that Leeds would be willing to invest an eight-figure sum on Max; A soon-to-be 29-year-old full-back not guaranteed to be member of Jesse Marsch’s best XI. Junior Firpo endured a tough first season at Elland Road but remains a far better footballer than he’s showed so far in West Yorkshire. 

The one-time Barcelona man is expected to miss the first seven Premier League fixtures with a hip injury. Leeds are in the market for cover, but Max’s age and price-tag may push Jesse Marsch and co to prioritise alternative options.