Leeds United loan star Joe Rodon is a target for play-off winners Southampton, a report from TEAMtalk has claimed.
Leeds United and Southampton battled it out for promotion all season before facing one another in the Championship play-off final last weekend.
It was the Saints who emerged victorious and condemned the Whites to another campaign of second-tier football. Adam Armstrong’s first-half goal proved decisive as Russell Martin and co won 1-0.
Now, it is claimed the Premier League new boys have set their sights on one of Leeds United’s standout performers from the 2023/24 season – Joe Rodon.
TEAMtalk reports that Southampton are eyeing up a £15m move for the centre-back as he prepares to return to parent club Tottenham Hotspur.
It is added that Leeds retain the desire to keep Rodon on a permanent basis. However, failure to go up and their looming financial issues may make that trickier. For the time being though, the Welshman is taking time to rest and weigh up his next move after a strong campaign.
An influential performer
Be it alongside Ethan Ampadu or Pascal Struijk earlier in the season, Rodon quickly became a key player for Daniel Farke and Leeds United in their bid to make an immediate return to the Premier League.
After joining in time for the second Championship game of the campaign, the former Swansea City man would only miss two more games, one of which he watched from the bench after suspension.
Rodon started every single game from October 4th until the play-off final last Saturday. He notched 50 appearances across all competitions and proved just why he was viewed as a Premier League standard player in his breakthrough at Swansea.
Such success could set him up for a Premier League opportunity next season, though Leeds United remain hopeful of bringing him back it seems.
The impact of the play-off final
The wider impacts of the play-off final are sure to come to the fore over the coming weeks and months as Leeds United and Southampton embark on very different transfer windows.
The Whites must sell players to settle outstanding fees on transfer instalments while looking to retain a group strong enough to fight for promotion once again.
Meanwhile at St. Mary’s, Martin will likely be well backed as he prepares the Saints for the Premier League.
Time will tell just where Rodon ends up. A return to Leeds United would certainly be a popular choice among the Elland Road faithful, but another shot to prove himself in the Premier League could be too tough to turn down.
