Exclusive: Leeds & West Ham told £300K will seal Baggott deal
Leeds United and West Ham have been told they could land rising-star Ipswich Town defender Elkan Baggott for up to £300,000 this month, Football Insider understands.
The Premier League big guns are chasing the signature of the giant centre-back, 18, this month after he rejected the League One club's offer of a professional contract.
A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Leeds and West Ham have held early talks over a potential deal.
They have been told that it would cost compensation of between £150,000 to £300,000 to seal Baggott's signature in the current window.
Football Insider revealed last week the chase for the 6ft 5in highly rated youngster was hotting up.
Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has said he is not in the market for any senior centre-back signings this month after the big-money outlays on Robin Koch and Diego Llorente last summer.
But that does not rule out a relatively inexpensive young defender swoop.
Cash-conscious West Ham have already signed one young defender in this window after completing the capture of 21-year-old Danish centre-back Frederik Alves Ibsen.
Ironically, Ibsen was also on the target list of Leeds before agreeing terms with the Londoners.
Baggott, who is a left-sided centre-back, has already made his Ipswich first-team debut, which came against Gillingham in the EFL Trophy in October.
The teenager has made a name for himself not only with his precocity but also the huge following he has in his native Indonesia.
He has 135,000 followers on social media platform Instagram, a remarkable number an 18-year-old with just one senior appearance under his belt.
Baggott , who was born in Bangkok, has an English father and an Indonesian mother.
He has embraced his latter heritage and has already represented Indonesia at Under-19 level.