According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, Leeds United are looking to sign youth players from Celtic and Rangers this summer to strengthen their academy ahead of next season.
The Whites under-23s are a point away from winning Premier League 2 Division Two title and are preparing for life in the top tier next season.
Leeds brought in Joe Gelhardt, Crysencio Summerville, Sam Greenwood and Cody Drameh to their under-23s last summer. The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union will see Premier League clubs raid Scottish Premiership academies this summer.
Rangers and Celtic boast of some of the best youth players in Europe, and the Elland Road outfit will be keen to recruit the best of the bunch.
The likes of Billy Gilmour and Kieran Tierney have inspired Scottish Premiership youngsters to seek moves south of the border, and the opportunity to work with the legendary Marcelo Bielsa will be appealing to those targeted this summer.
Leeds academy was given category one status by the Premier League under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). They now boast of one of the best academies in the land.
The club is providing more budget for more signings at academy level, with Director of Football Victor Orta looking to enhance their scouting system further by creating a bigger and more detailed data department.
Craig Dean – a specialist in the youth market who joined Leeds in 2017 – is expected to help pursue more targets this summer.
The Premier League surprise packages have already been linked with a potential move for Rangers manager Steven Gerrard when Bielsa leaves, and they could now be raiding them in the coming weeks for some of their best talents.
In other news, Tottenham Hotspur target has been reportedly offered to Leeds as Bielsa eyes move.
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