Leeds United journalist Phil Hay has shared a new transfer update concerning Crystal Palace teenager Jadan Raymond.
This comes after Hay recently made an appearance on The Athletic’s Ornstein & Chapman Podcast to discuss the latest news surrounding the Yorkshire club.
During the episode, Hay shared the latest news on Leeds’ reported interest in the young midfielder.
He said: “[Jadan] Raymond was one that they’d identified, he had been spotted by the head of talent recruitment, Craig Dean. He was somebody who they were ready to take on this summer, they were keen to do it.
“Raymond, for a long time, was stalling on a deal at Crystal Palace, didn’t seem like he was going to sign up there and take a scholarship and Leeds were very much at the head of the queue, but he’s an England youth international is Raymond, and he is technically worth a lot of money for a 16-year-old and in the end, Leeds took the view that they were likely to be hit for a compensation fee of around £750,000, which in their position is a lot of money for a 16-year-old and I think if they do get promoted to the Premier League, then they would have the finance to do that sort of deal.
“A gamble still though it would be. But at the stage where Raymond was looking for a decision, they were still in – well, they are still in the Championship, they’re still to be confirmed as going up automatically this season and I think they felt that it wasn’t a deal they could commit to until they were more certain about their status.”
In an article for The Athletic that Hay wrote alongside Palace journalist Matt Woosnam last month on this potential deal, they described Raymond as a “stylish box-to-box midfielder” who is “comfortable on the ball and can operate anywhere across the midfield.”
Would Jadan Raymond be a good addition to Leeds' squad?
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TIF Thoughts…
It seems as though Leeds’ potential signing of Raymond will depend on whether or not they will be able to get promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season and secure the appropriate financial benefits that would allow them to sign Raymond.
Considering that, ahead of West Brom’s game against Fulham on Tuesday evening, Leeds are sat at the top of the Championship table on 84 points with just three league games left to play, the Whites are in the best position to eventually win promotion to the Premier League.
If Leeds do end up winning promotion, it would appear likely that they would try to sign Raymond ahead of the upcoming season.