Leeds United have held ‘delicate’ talks with West Ham over a fee for young forward Sonny Perkins, Phil Hay reports.
The Lowdown: Augustin update
The Whites found out last week that would have to pay RB Leipzig £18.4m regarding the signing of Jean-Kevin Augustin, with their appeal dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Leeds are thought to be planning another appeal, though, despite being ordered to pay an initial sum of £5.9m, and it looks as if a further off-field dispute is still ongoing at Elland Road.
The Latest: Hay makes Perkins claim
Perkins made his senior Leeds debut on Wednesday against Wolves in the EFL Cup, playing 71 minutes of the 1-0 defeat.
Hay wrote a story for The Athletic about the young talent coming through at Elland Road on Thursday and touched on Perkins’ move to Yorkshire. He said that West Ham want a seven-figure sum from Leeds for Perkins following ‘delicate’ conversations.
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-54/" title="Latest Leeds United news" poster="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg" width="360" height="600" align="none"]
“Conversations between the two teams at board level have been delicate at best. West Ham think Leeds were underhand in recruiting Perkins and want a good seven-figure sum.
“Leeds deny any wrongdoing and do not believe Perkins’ status as a scholar, his salary at West Ham, his limited minutes as a first-team player or prior fees for academy footballers like him should value him at more than £750,000.”
The Verdict: Tribunal?
Leeds appear to be willing to pay around £750,000 in compensation for the teenager, whereas the Hammers are holding out for more. Therefore, it looks as if the two clubs are set for a tribunal to settle a fee for Perkins, who looks like an exciting young talent.
The 18-year-old has scored seven goals in nine Premier League 2 games for the Whites, and after his first-team debut at Molineux, you’d expect that it could be the first of many senior appearances in a Leeds shirt.