Leeds United plotting move to sign £7k-a-week Southampton FC star | OneFootball

Leeds United are reportedly interested in Southampton midfielder Shea Charles

Southampton are facing the threat of losing Shea Charles to the Premier League amid fresh interest from Leeds United, with the young midfielder fresh off the back of a standout Championship campaign on loan at Sheffield Wednesday.

According to a recent report published by TEAMtalk, Leeds are "strongly considering" a move for Charles after returning to the top-flight at the second attempt as champions with a 100-point haul, having lost out to Southampton in the play-off final the season before.

That term, Charles made 33 Championship appearances in what was his debut campaign in Hampshire after completing a £12 million move from Manchester City, although just 15 of those were starts before he truly made a name for himself in the second-tier at Sheffield Wednesday.

The 27-cap Northern Ireland international appeared in all but three of Wednesday's 46 league matches as they secured an eventual 12th-placed finish under Danny Rohl, and attracted reported interest from Leicester City, West Ham United and Serie A outfit Atalanta around the turn of the year.

Southampton, of course, will only be more vulnerable when it comes to Charles' future after suffering relegation in a historically-dismal season on the south coast, despite the midfielder remaining under contract for another two years with a current estimated salary of £7,000 according to Capology.

Leeds United eyeing transfer for Southampton FC's Shea Charles

As per the aforementioned report, Leeds closely tracked the 21-year-old's progression just down the road at Wednesday for much of the previous season and are now strongly considering a move at some stage during this summer's transfer window.

The Whites are intent on bolstering the midfield after achieving promotion and have also been linked with the likes of Newcastle United pair Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock alongside Hoffenheim's Anton Stach.

It's said that any successful move for Stach would not impact the pursuit of Longstaff or Charles, with Southampton likely to spend the summer sweating over his future at St Mary's.

The report adds that new Southampton head coach Will Still is hoping to retain Charles' services this summer and instate him as part of his midfield engine room, with a significant fee surely required to prise him away from the Championship newcomers.

Southampton FC must retain Shea Charles amid Leeds United transfer interest

Southampton are already poised to lose a clutch of prized assets in Tyler Dibling, Mateus Fernandes and Aaron Ramsdale, who will each net the club a healthy cash windfall if and when they do depart and, by doing so, will lower any potential necessity for the Saints to cash in on further talent in an effort to balance the books following relegation.

That means they should adopt a strong, bullish position when it comes to Charles' future.

With a further two years yet to run on his current deal, Southampton are not under any immediate pressure to sell unless the player himself makes it known that he wants to depart, with his stance very much unclear at this moment in time, and they will surely be looking to see a return on the eight-figure investment they shelled out two years ago before deciding to cash in.

At 21, Charles has now established himself as a high-quality midfield performer at Championship level, but his age means the best is yet to come, and Southampton will hope to realise that potential in 2025/26 and beyond.