Leeds United have joined the battle to sign Brighton defender Shane Duffy, a report from a print edition of The Scottish Daily Mail (16/08) has claimed.
Having fallen down the pecking order at Brighton last season, Duffy is now attracting attention from a number of other clubs, with West Brom, West Ham, Celtic and Burnley all already linked with a move for the centre back.
Now it seems that interest in the 28-year-old is growing, with the latest reports claiming that Leeds have now also joined the race to recruit the Republic of Ireland international this summer, although it seems that there is still much to be decided around Duffy’s future.
It is thought that the player himself is keen on a move to Celtic, but with the Scottish champions apparently only capable of offering a loan deal, Brighton would prefer the defender to make a permanent move to one of those Premier League clubs, meaning Duffy is now at odds with his current club.
Leeds themselves are in need of a new centre back following the expiration of Ben White’s loan deal, ironically from Brighton, and Duffy could certainly be a useful replacement for his teammate.
With the club about to make the step up to the Premier League for the first time in so many years, it does feel as though they could do to add some players with experience of English football’s top-flight to their squad.
Having performed so reliably for a number of years for Brighton, there can be no doubt that Duffy would be a useful recruit for Leeds if they were to bring him to Elland Road this summer.
It does however appear as though there is no guarantee that they will secure that signing given Duffy’s apparent individual stance, although it will be interesting to see just how this might impact their pursuit of White if they do complete this particular signing.