According to the Manchester Evening News, Leeds United’s new manager, Jesse March is targeting Manchester United starlet James Garner this summer.
Jesse Marsch was named head coach of the Whites last month, only 24 hours after Marcelo Bielsa was fired, and it appears he has already identified who could be his first signing. Leeds and Southampton are expected to compete for the current Nottingham Forest loanee’s signature.
James Garner has a contract worth £20k per week at Manchester United and any team will find it comfortable to match that amount for such a dynamic midfielder.
The young midfielder is now on loan with Nottingham Forest in the Championship and has been one of their standout performers this season. His performances against Arsenal and Liverpool caught the eye of many and Manchester United great Roy Keane himself praised Garner for his major improvement at Nottingham.
The 21-year-old turned down offers from Derby County, Sheffield United, and Stoke City to return to Forest. If the club is promoted to the Premier League, they will want to tie James Graner to a long-term contract.
While James Garner could get a favorable environment to grow at Forest, the situation will not be the same at Leeds United. As Leeds currently has central midfield options in the form of Kalvin Phillips, Adam Forshaw, and Mateusz Klich, Garner would give fierce competition if he moved to Elland Road.
Manchester United may be willing to loan the defensive midfielder to a Championship club in order to gain experience, but Leeds director of football Victor Orta will try his luck in attempting to negotiate a permanent transfer, despite Garner’s desire to stay at Old Trafford.
Although the England under-21 international is still very young, he has already made 84 senior appearances, demonstrating the trust he has earned from the coaches with whom he has already worked.
