‘Rival Prem club swoop’ for Leeds United manager target with ‘further talks’ taking place ‘today’

Lewis Oldham
Leeds target Slot

According to reports, one of Leeds United’s Premier League rivals are interested in appointing Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot.

Leeds United have been without a manager since Jesse Marsch was sacked at the start of this week. This followed their disappointing 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest.

Caretaker manager Michael Skubala took charge earlier this week as Leeds drew 2-2 with Man Utd at Old Trafford. The Yorkshire outfit led 2-0 but goals from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho earned the hosts a point.

Leeds’ search for a new manager is ongoing ahead of this weekend’s return fixture at Elland Road against Man Utd.

Former assistant Carlos Corberan was initially linked with the job, but he has committed his future to West Brom by signing a new long-term contract to remain with the Championship side until 2027.

Rayo Vallecano head coach Andoni Iraola has also been linked with the club but it was confirmed on Thursday morning that he will not be moving to Elland Road.

This has left Slot as the new frontrunner to take over at Leeds United. The 44-year-old has been Feyenoord’s head coach since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

Slot won the Eredivisie manager of the year award last term and he now has Feyenoord two points clear at the top of the table in the Netherlands.

Football Insider are reporting that Leeds United are ‘working on luring’ him away from Feyenoord and they were ‘locked in talks’ with the manager’s representatives on Thursday.

Despite Feyenoord’s strong position in the Eredivisie, Slot is said to be ‘open’ to joining Leeds. This has given the Premier League club ‘encouragement’ but they ‘will need to make a multi-million-pound compensation payment to Feyenoord to agree a deal’.

Slot’s current contract is up in 2025 and the report states that a ‘compensation’ payment and a ‘highly lucrative contract’ would be needed to get a ‘complicated deal’ over the line.

The report then claims that ‘there is also interest from other clubs in luring Slot, including from what is believed to be another Premier League club’.

They do not name the club in question, but Nathan Jones and Gary O’Neil are under pressure at Southampton and AFC Bournemouth respectively.

Football Insider note that ‘further talks’ will be held between Leeds and Slot’s team on Friday. The Premier League side are understood to be ‘mindful of the need to get a deal done quickly’ so they do not miss out on another target.

Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan stated on Thursday that Leeds will need to “throw a huge package of money” at Feyenoord to get Slot.

“In the last two hours [Thursday afternoon] Feyenoord president Dennis te Kloese wanted to end all the speculation,” Van der Kraan told talkSPORT.

“He has said, ‘look Leeds United have not been in touch officially. Not unofficially. I’m very close to the people of Leeds, I know them well, and I can’t see anything happening, and if they do come, I won’t sell him.’

“So maybe Leeds will have to either throw a huge package of money to everybody at Feyenoord or they will have to start looking elsewhere.”

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