Revealed: Leeds new 6-figure signing secured but contract yet to be signed
Leeds United will not complete the signing of rising star Charlie Allen until the lockdown has ended, Football Insider has been told.
The Championship promotion favourites have reached an agreement to sign the 16-year-old from Northern Irish outfit Linfield this month for a fee this site understands is £300,000.
A Leeds source has told Football Insider that the club have agreed the terms of the deal but the pandemic restrictions have prevented them signing off the transfer and formally registering Allen.
All parties are expecting the paperwork to be complete later in the summer.
It comes at a time when United chief executive Angus Kinnear explained the focus of director of football Victor Orta is on "extending loan player contracts and retaining options for permanent signings beyond their original expiry date.".
The Yorkshire giants have five loan stars whose deals were originally due to expire at the end of June.
Of those, three - Jack Harrison, Illan Meslier and Jean-Kevin Augustin - have purchase options included in their Leeds contracts.
Allen will not initially link up with the first-team squad but his scholarship deal will become a three-year professional agreement when he turns 17 in November.
Leeds' plan is for the teenager to link up with their Under-23s squad in the first stage of his development.
As reported by Football Insider, Leeds have fended off interest from some of Britain's leading clubs to land Allen, including Tottenham, Man City, Chelsea and Rangers.
He is regarded as one of the best young prospects in Northern Ireland and has already accumulated first-team experience at Linfield.