Leeds have rejected Fulham’s £5million offer for Ross McCormack, but the Cottagers are likely to come back with an increased bid of £7million, amid other reports of interest from Norwich City, Newcastle United, Cardiff City and Derby County.
On Friday Leeds replied to Fulham’s initial bid by saying we don’t want to sell last season’s leading scorer, but their manager Felix Magath is reported to be keen to sign player with experience of the Championship, and owner Shahid Khan has promised him the funds to challenge for a quick return to the Premier League.
There have been reports that quite a few other clubs are also chasing the Scotsman, including Derby, Norwich and Newcastle, and one paper has even claimed that we have already turned down as much as £9million from his former club Cardiff. But Cellino is reluctant to sell our talisman to another club in the same division, and McCormack has repeatedly said he is happy at Leeds and presumably would only be tempted away if he could try his luck in the Premiership.
Of the clubs to have shown interest so far it’s likely that Derby will mount another promotion challenge after reaching the play-off final last time, while the three relegated clubs will have a big financial advantage thanks to the huge ‘parachute payments’ from the Premier League. But only Newcastle can offer McCormack Premier League football, and the St.James’ Park club frequently seems to be rather dysfunctional.
So what are the chances of McCormack leaving? Much will depend on whether Cellino feels he has the resources to deal with the club’s immediate financial problems and bring in the players he wants without having to sell McCormack. According to the paper in Cagliari, Cellino is after no fewer than six players from his former club and will need to have the funds in place to be able to rebuild the squad in the way he wants.
Will Leeds eventually get an offer for McCormack we find impossible to refuse?