Leeds United target ‘rejects’ move to Elland Road

Newcastle United goalkeeper Freddie Woodman has rejected a move to Leeds United after the Yorkshire outfit registered interest in him, according to reports.

The 24-year-old joined Newcastle United from Crystal Palace in 2013 as an academy player.

Woodman is yet to make his professional debut for the Magpies, as he has spent the last few years on loan elsewhere.

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The goalkeeper has spent the last two years at Swansea City in the Championship. He won the league’s Golden Glove award in 2020/21 as he racked up 92 appearances for them across two seasons.

Leeds United are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper this summer. This comes as their backup ‘keeper Kiko Casilla has left to join Elche on loan.

It was reported on Tuesday that Leeds are interested in the £10m-rated Woodman. 

Now Football Insider have reported that the Newcastle ‘keeper has “rejected” a move to Elland Road. This comes down to his desire to be a number one ‘keeper and not a backup.

Elsewhere, during England’s Euro 2020 campaign, John Barnes described Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice as their “two most important players” at the tournament. 

Phillips started all seven of England’s games at Euro 2020 as they reached the final. The Leeds man was one of Gareth Southgate’s best performers at the midfielder’s first major tournament.

Barnes said: “Harry Kane has now come and scored the goals, in terms of getting us where we are, he carried that biggest threat.

“But I’ve said all along, the two most important players for England in this tournament have been Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips.

“You talk about those two, and people talking about not playing two holding midfielders, ‘do we need that?’.

“But they’ve protected the back four, we’ve only conceded one goal, and as much as you look at the defence, the work they have done in protecting them and giving England the balance of having four attacking players; Mason Mount, Harry Kane, Sterling and [Phil] Foden, [Jack] Grealish or [Bukayo] Saka.

‘Those two give them that base and that balance that I don’t think we’ve ever had.”