Exclusive: Leeds to make solid Jonathan Rowe move as optimism grows over stunning transfer hijack

Leeds United are ready to step up their interest in Jonathan Rowe by making a firm offer for the Norwich winger – and we understand the Whites believe they still have a chance of beating Marseille to the player’s signature.

The Whites began their second season back in the Championship with a topsy-turvy 3-3 draw at home to newly-promoted Portsmouth in a match that Leeds dominated, but were unable to make their authority translate into a win. And while Pompey will feel unfortunate themselves not to have won, taking the lead in the 92nd-minute through a Callum Lang penalty, the visitors could still have lost with Brenden Aaronson scoring a 95th-minute equaliser before spurning a glorious chance to win the game.

Leeds started the match with seven starters from the Championship play-off final defeat at Wembley back in May, with Jayden Bogle the only fresh face in their line-up.

And having sold Crysencio Summerville to West Ham in a deal ultimately worth up to £35m earlier this summer, Leeds have been left a little short on wing options, despite Willy Gnonto and Dan James – two standouts in the Championship – both starting in Saturday’s draw.

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As a result, it’s little surprise to see the Whites being strongly linked with Rowe in recent weeks with the player’s deal at Norwich due to expire in a year’s time.

The England Under-21 international looks certain to leave Carrow Road this summer and may even have already played his last game for the Canaries, having withdrawn himself from their squad ahead of Saturday’s opening day defeat at Oxford United.

As it stands, Leeds have yet to make a concrete offer for the 21-year-old’s services, but are understood to have registered their interest with Norwich.

Leeds transfers: Formal offer to be lodged with Norwich for Rowe

As a result, Leeds have had to sit back and watch on as Marseille made the first move for the star, who registered 13 goals and added four assists from 38 appearances last season.

The Ligue 1 giants’ opening offer – believed to be worth €12m (£10.3m) – has been swiftly rejected by the Canaries, who have made it clear that bidding for the star should begin at around the £15m mark.

Whether Marseille come back in with an increased offer remains to be seen, though it is understood that Rowe himself has expressed a willingness to make the move to the south of France.

However, the situation could be about to change in Leeds’ favour and information gathered by TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Gillan claims the Whites are now preparing their first formal offer to Norwich for the star.

The details of the offer are not known but the Whites are expected to go in with a higher offer than what OM have made and something closer towards Norwich’s valuation.

And sources have also told Gillan that there is optimism at Elland Road that they can still win the race for Rowe’s signature and that a deal can be struck to bring the tricky winger to West Yorkshire.

We can reveal Leeds have also made contact with Rowe’s representatives over the prospects of a transfer across the Championship. And while Rowe feels he belongs at a higher level, Leeds will try and sell him their project and with the hope of securing Premier League football with them this season.

Norwich boss comes clean on Rowe missing opener

Wherever he ends up, it seems Norwich are reluctantly coming to accept that another of their star players is set to move on.

The East Anglian outfit have already lost another star man in Gabriel Sara this summer, with the Brazilian sealing a move to Galatasaray which could ultimately be worth around £22m to Norwich.

Understandably, they do not want to also see Rowe depart in the same window in a move that would seriously deplete their promotion credentials.

Speaking after the loss at the Kassam Stadium, new head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup explained that Rowe did not want to play amid ongoing speculation over his future.

“Jon and I had a meeting this morning,” Thorup told Sky Sports after the defeat. “He came to me and said with so many things going on and so much interest, he was maybe not ready to play, not ready to perform. For me it was quite an easy decision to replace him with another guy.

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“It’s all about the team. And on a day like today it’s about how we can perform in the best possible way. I cannot go into too many conversations with Jonny on a day like this. We have to solve it on Monday when we are in again.

“That’s the most important thing for him to understand, it was an easy decision for me to make. I can understand with these young guys, it’s the first time there is media attention around them and some stories. I can completely understand but of course, I also let the players know I cannot understand that on game day you decide not to be in the team.”

Now with Leeds ready to officially throw their hat into the ring, and with the transfer window due to close on Friday August 30, the Whites will know soon enough if their quest to sign Rowe is a successful one.