Leeds braced for £7m bid after transfer request - report
By Tom Blackburn
West Brom are set to test Leeds with a £7million bid for left-back Charlie Taylor, according to a report.
The Daily Star claim the Yorkshire giants are desperate to keep the 22-year-old but the Premier League club are searching for new players and are ready to test their resolve.
The report comes even though the Baggies have already announced a left-back arrival this summer, with Brendan Galloway joining from Everton Monday on a season-long loan.
Taylor had a transfer request rejected by Leeds shortly before the start of the season and plunged his future into fresh doubt at the weekend by saying he doesn't know if he will still be with the club he signed for as a boy when the transfer window shuts.
Asked if he expects to be at Elland Road after the 31 August cut-off, Taylor told the Yorkshire Post: “I am not sure. Obviously I am contracted until the end of this season, so if they (Leeds) do not want to sell me, then I am under contract.
"I think once the transfer window is closed, then I will either not be at Leeds or definitely be at Leeds and I think then I can get my head around the fact either way whatever happens."
The Yorkshire giants appear determined to hang on to the academy graduate until at least the January window, which is when they sold his former team-mate Sam Byram earlier this year.
The two have the same agent, Colin Pomford. He is known not to get on with owner Massimo Cellino, which has had an impact on both players' contract talks with the Whites.
The left-back started Leeds first five this season before being rested for their EFL Cup victory over Luton, but he is firmly established as Leeds’ first-choice left-back. He made 42 appearances for the Championship outfit last season, chipping in with seven assists.
In other Leeds transfer news, the club are reportedly interested in a 30-year-old former Tottenham player.