Exclusive: Leeds United make move to re-sign Alex Cairns
Leeds United have made a move to bring their former goalkeeper Alex Cairns back to the club, sources have told Football Insider.
The Yorkshire club are lining up a formal offer after registering their interest in signing Salford City’s first-choice shot-stopper.
Cairns, 31, came through the academy setup at Elland Road and signed his first professional deal with the club in 2011, although he made just one senior appearance.
He has just one year remaining on his current deal at Salford, with Leeds keen to take advantage of the uncertainty around his future.
Leeds United make move to re-sign Alex Cairns from Salford City
EFL regulations state each Championship club must register a minimum of eight homegrown players in their 25-man squad, with Cairns targeted to help Leeds reach that requirement.
Illan Meslier and Karl Darlow have been the first and second-choice options under Daniel Farke, with Cairns in line to arrive as the third choice.
The deal has gathered pace as reports say current option Kristoffer Klaesson looks set to join Polish side Rakow Czestochowa in a permanent deal which would see the squad lose a homegrown player.
Cairns left Leeds in 2015, initially joining Chesterfield and then Rotherham, but after failing to make an appearance at either club, he landed at Fleetwood Town.
The bulk of his career was spent at Fleetwood, where he made 240 appearances between 2016 and 2023 while the club was in League One.
After a successful loan spell, the goalkeeper made the permanent move to Salford last summer, and has now made 77 appearances for the club, keeping 12 clean sheets.
Last season, Cairns kept eight clean sheets across 51 appearances in all competitions as Salford narrowly avoided relegation from League Two.
In other news, Archie Gray is expected to step straight into the first XI at Tottenham.
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