Leeds United contract talks to accelerate in coming days as 27-year Elland Road association enters final week — YEP 24/6/24
By Joe Donnohue
Leeds United club captain Liam Cooper has less than one week
remaining on his existing Elland Road contract with the skipper's future still
unresolved.
Leeds have tendered a contract offer to the Scotland
international, who is yet to accept a deal to remain at the club for an
eleventh consecutive season or move on to pastures new.
Alongside the Tartan Army, Cooper was eliminated from the
European Championships by a 100th minute Kevin Csoboth winner during their
final Group A match against Hungary on Sunday night, without having played a
minute of football at the summer tournament.
With international commitments now in the rear-view mirror,
attentions can return to Cooper's club future which could yet have
ramifications on the summer business Leeds conduct. There is a possibility the
club lose their skipper, Joe Rodon and Charlie Cresswell in one fell swoop,
which would necessitate incomings at centre-back.
Following Scotland's Euros exit, Cooper is now expected to
spend some away from the pitch but contract renegotiations will not be far from
the player's mind. Progress on his next move will need to be made before the
week is done, at which point he will be without a club for the first time in a
decade if he does not take a decision on Leeds' offer.
The precise terms of Leeds' bid to keep Cooper at Elland
Road are unknown, although the Whites are unlikely to offer an extension longer
than 12 months at this stage of the 32-year-old's career. Daniel Farke started
the United captain just seven times in the Championship last season.
Cooper is likely to be the subject of offers and approaches
from clubs in the EFL, as well as abroad on the back of last summer's interest
from Saudi Arabia, which the Leeds skipper turned down.
Movement can be expected on his future this week, and that
of out-of-contract teammate Jamie Shackleton, who has also been given the
chance to remain a United player but is yet to indicate whether he will do so.
The 24-year-old first joined Leeds at the age of seven,
before signing schoolboy forms at nine years old and has been with the club
ever since. Combined, he and Cooper have 27 years of United experience between
them.
There is also the possibility either player remains in
renegotiations beyond June 30 and upon agreeing fresh terms, re-joins the group
for pre-season at a later date. Cooper, in particular, would have been
scheduled to report back later than the initial tranche of returnees given his
involvement with Scotland this summer.
