Prize asset quits Leeds after Premier League club up his salary five times to £30,000-a-week - report
By Alex Stevens
Lewis Cook was enticed from Leeds with a stunning £30,000-a-week package, according to a report.
The Elland Road academy graduate joined Bournemouth last week for an initial £7million rising to £10million.
The Yorkshire Evening Post claim Cook’s wage has risen from around £6,000-a-week at Leeds to more than £30,000-a-week at Bournemouth.
The Premier League club had been monitoring him for several months and failed with previous bids for him in January.
Monk, who took charge at Leeds at the start of last month, had singled out Cook as a major part of his plans for next season and persuaded the youngster to turn down a call-up to the England Under-19 squad for this summer’s European Championship in Germany in order to have a full pre-season with Leeds.
But Cook trained for just two weeks before Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe secured him in a transfer worth around £10million.
His departure came on the back of six new arrivals at Elland Road, including the seven-figure signing of Oxford United forward Kemar Roofe.
Cook, 19, was named the Football League Young Player of the Year last month after beating off competition from fellow nominees Fulham striker Mousa Dembele and Walsall left-back Rico Henry to land the coveted gong.
Cook followed in the footsteps of the 2015 winner Dele Alli, who has gone onto receive international honours and wide acclaim in his first season at Tottenham. Gareth Bale (2007) and Fabian Delph (2009) are also internationally recognised previous winners of the award.
The England Under-19, had been a mainstay of the Leeds team for the last two seasons, starting 41 of their 46 Championship matches in 2015/16 and providing further evidence of the potential that has made him a regular in the international set-up.