The likely reason for Leeds United not pursuing Jon Rowe further has just been revealed – View
By- Kris Smith
Leeds United won’t be signing Jonathan Rowe from Norwich City this month, because the long-running sage with Marseille has come to an end with him signing at the French club.
Daniel Farke’s attempts to rebuild his Leeds squad haven’t been at all successful so far, but the German hasn’t been helped by tentative efforts from the club in signing new players.
Links have cropped up constantly for players that the Whites could end up signing, only for the talk to go quiet, including Jonathan Rowe.
Leeds won’t sign Jonathan Rowe, he has agreed to Marseille move
Jonathan Rowe looked like one of Leeds’ top targets for a winger signing this month as they reportedly opened talks with Norwich City – per the Telegraph.
Leeds’ initial valuation of £7million for the winger appeared some way off the Canaries’ price tag for the 21-year-old, who had one year left on his deal heading into this season, albeit with the option of another.
However, Leeds will not be signing the England youth international, after it was revealed by John Percy that Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille reached an agreement on Wednesday to sign the player – now signed officially:
Jonathan Rowe has joined French club Marseille on a season-long loan.
The agreement also includes an obligation to buy at the end of the loan.
Leeds priced out of Rowe deal as fee agreement emerges
Why Leeds backed away from opening talks for the winger isn’t really revealed, but it seems fairly obvious now why the club didn’t bother with a testing bid for Rowe.
Percy’s confirmation of Marseille’s agreement also comes with the fee that they are paying in this loan deal with an obligation to buy, a £14million sum, plus a loan fee initially and £3million in add-ons:
Norwich and Marseille agree £14m deal for Jonathan Rowe, who is set to fly out for medical later today. Further £3m in bonuses and sell-on agreed. Story with @mcgrathmike and more to follow @TeleFootball Rowe would undoubtedly have been a brilliant signing for Leeds, but Norwich were never going to sanction this loan deal, so the fee would have to have been upfront, which is a lot to commit to.
A potential £17million-plus fee for a player with one breakout season under his belt is a serious investment, and while it could come good, the risk is huge – especially if Rowe faces injuries again.
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