Leeds United have agreed to sell Chris Wood to Burnley for £15million plus add-ons, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper claim the Yorkshire giants have accepted a third bid from the Premier League club for their prolific striker and he will leave their north-east hotel to undergo a medical today (Saturday).
The Mirror report that Burnley will pay £15million plus add-ons for Wood after Sean Dyche made it clear that the New Zealand international was his first choice to replace Andre Gray.
Good move for Leeds?
No, not at all. Sure, the club might be about to bank an initial £15million – and maybe even a possible £20million should performance-related bonuses be achieved – but they are losing their best chance of securing promotion. Wood was the outstanding striker in the Championship last season as he responded superbly to the coaching of Garry Monk and took his game to a new level. His 30 goals in all competitions, 27 of which came in the league, amounted to 24 more than the next top scorer in the team. That says it all. Wood is irreplaceable and his imminent exit threatens to end Leeds’ promotion hopes before the end of August.
This Is Futbol rating: 2/10
Likely to happen?
This now appears a done deal. Once medicals are scheduled, that means terms have been settled and finances agreed. It is perhaps no coincidence that Leeds briefed the media yesterday (Friday) that Wood had been offered a new three-year contract. It was the club’s way of saying, ‘we did our best to keep him but he wanted to go’. Barring a last-minute hitch, the big forward is heading to Burnley.
This Is Futbol rating: 9/10