Aston Villa plotting cheeky swoop for Leeds’ best player in measly outlay due to relegation clause

Aston Villa and West Ham United are reportedly keen Jack Harrison, with the Leeds United star likely to leave for a cut-price fee due to a relegation clause.

The Whites clearly have clearly struggled for the past couple of seasons. After a promising start on their Premier League return which saw them finish ninth, things fell apart last term.

Indeed, Marcelo Bielsa was sacked after a period of poor form, and his replacement, Jesse Marsch, only narrowly avoided relegation – scraping to survival by just three points.

In his second season, though, he failed to inspire much change despite a spend of over £125million in the summer, and come February, he was sacked.

Two managers succeeded him before the season ended, highlighting a real period of turmoil. However, neither Javi Gracia nor Sam Allardyce had much success, and the Whites were sent down on the final day of the season.

While bright spots have been hard to come by for the Elland Road outfit, there have been some. The form of Harrison in the Premier League is one of the main positives.

In three seasons in the top flight he scored 21 goals and provided 16 assists. What’s more, 13 of those goals and eight of the assists came in the last two terms, when battling relegation.

Without Harrison, Leeds might well have suffered their eventual fate much sooner.

Aston Villa plotting cut-price Harrison move

Now, they’ll struggle to keep hold of the star. That would surely have been the case after relegation anyway, but a report from talkSPORT states he has a relegation clause in his deal.

That clause means he’ll be available for a ‘cut-price fee’.

The report suggests the winger is ‘attracting plenty of attention’. It also states he could be ‘offered an escape route’ with both Aston Villa and West Ham keen on him.

Judging by his returns in the Premier League, Harrison could add value to either of those sides. Even if he was not a starter at Villa, that they’re playing European football next season means there’ll be plenty of games.

West Ham would also be an attractive option for him, though, given they’re still a Premier League side.

Cheap Harrison deal a great move

When Leicester had a bid accepted for Harrison in January, it was reported that was worth £20million.

With the suggestion of a cut-price fee, whoever manages to snare the winger would surely get him for less than what the Foxes would have paid.

After three good seasons in the Premier League, a player in his prime years going for less than £20million is a steal for any side.

It would not be a surprise, therefore, it other clubs also soon registered an interest in him.

READ MORE: Leeds ‘expecting’ rivals to trigger midfielder’s relegation release clause as American core is ripped out