Leeds United should test Norwich City resolve amid Summerville, Gnonto concerns: View | OneFootball

Jon Rowe should be a target for Daniel Farke and Leeds United this summer, should any of their key wide players depart.

Leeds United will be in for a summer of change after they failed to gain promotion last season, but Daniel Farke could turn to his former club, Norwich City, if the club are forced to sell some of their best stars.

They have had to rebuild in 2023/24 already, and bouncing back to the top-flight at the first time of asking was not necessarily a guarantee. Now that they have fallen short, the likes of Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, and Willy Gnonto will be of interest to clubs far and wide throughout Europe and the Whites have a fight on their hands to retain them.

The Daily Mail has reported that the Whites may have to generate £100 million in player sales following their failure to secure Premier League status. That, and retaining your best players as a second year parachute payment team being a difficult situation to navigate, is going to see more than just Archie Gray leaving the club.

That's especially with so many of Leeds' best assets being so young, and players who are near-certainties to be too good for the Championship after a year of development. This is an issue that is particularly pertinent for a Leeds side which had Gray, Summerville, Gnonto, and Rutter in it. They have proven that they should not be playing another year of Championship football in 2024/25.

Three of those aforementioned players are out-and-out wingers, or in Rutter's case he is an option for Farke out wide, if required.

It means wide men are likely to be on the agenda this summer, and one player who should be of interest to the Whites as a potential replacement for any of those, is Jon Rowe from Norwich, who was a vital player during their rise up the table last season.

Having joined Norwich as an 11-year-old, Rowe shone in the youth academy in East Anglia, being nominated for awards such as the Premier League 2's Player of the Month in December 2021.

However, it was whilst Farke was at the club that Rowe was banging on the door of the first-team, and ultimately Dean Smith who awarded him with a debut in the midst of their dismal 2021/22 campaign.

Featuring 12 times for the Canaries that year, he could've been expected to play more minutes last season - though only three games transpired, leaving the winger in the dark over his future at Carrow Road.

Since then, he has not looked back and would certainly command a hefty fee, which could increase further by the end of the season with further game-time and development.

It's one that Leeds could afford through a sale or two from the likes of Rutter, Summerville or Gnonto, and the club need contingency plans for at least one inevitable departure this summer. Rowe could be that, as he himself has enjoyed his true breakout campaign for the Canaries, featuring in 38 games in the last season.

He has notched 13 goals and four assists, albeit the majority of those came by January after injury struck him down for the majority of the second half of the campaign. His first half of the year was excellent; therefore, it comes as no surprise that Rowe is on the radar of some high level clubs.

Unsurprisingly, that includes Premier League sides such as Aston Villa and Crystal Palace this season.

TEAMtalk have previously claimed that Aston Villa, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Burnley, and Sheffield United are all keeping tabs on the 21-year-old. An update from Football Insider also revealed that it’s Villa who are pushing the hardest to sign Rowe in the ‘coming windows’ to bolster their attacking line.

Tottenham Hotspur are also keeping tabs on signing the Norwich winger, as reported by Football.London. However, the majority of the interest came prior to his injury and his stock has since taken a hit, which could open the door to second tier sides striking a deal with the forward, including Leeds.

Daniel Farke could use past Norwich City links to try and land Jonathan Rowe

There are other players who Leeds could look to sign from Farke's former employers, but Rowe should be on top of the list, especially as they remain a second tier club for the coming season.

Rowe's current deal expires in the summer of 2025, which highlights why there has been growing interest far and wide in the winger, but also makes him affordable for sides in the second tier as well as those in English football's elite league.

Of course, Premier League interest is likely to turn Rowe's head, but Leeds can offer him the regular game time and starts that other teams can't, perhaps making a move for Norwich's star viable. Plenty of players have made the step up to the top-flight from the Championship, but some take that option up too quickly.

A move up to the top end of the Championship before heading to the Premier League could benefit both Rowe and Leeds, giving them a dynamic player of real quality to help replace the output of Summerville and Gnonto, as they aim to go again for another promotion-pushing campaign next year.

He could be a bargain for Leeds and Farke given his contractual situation and poor end to last season, making him genuinely attainable compared to when his form and fitness were unstoppable.