Leeds United set to beat Coventry and Middlesbrough to £5.5m Rangers signing
Leeds have been on the tails of Glen Kamara throughout the transfer window
Leeds United appears to have beaten Middlesbrough and Coventry City to the signing of Glen Kamara, with a £5.5 million deal in the works.
Kamara has been a key player for Rangers under Steven Gerrard, but has fallen down the pecking order under new manager Michael Beale.
The 27-year-old midfielder brings experience, skill, and versatility to Leeds’ squad, making him an astute signing for the club.
Leeds could finally be set for some positive transfer news after a week of training banishments and sales – with the Whites having reportedly beaten Middlesbrough and Coventry City to the signing of Rangers man Glen Kamara
Reports earlier in the week had linked the play-off semi-finalists with interest in the Finland midfielder, which could have made Leeds boss Daniel Farke sweat as he aimed to bring in the target he had pursued throughout the summer months.
However, it now looks like the midfielder will be on his way to Leeds in the coming days – wrapping up a window-long transfer saga with just a week to go in the market.
What is the latest news on Leeds’ pursuit of Glen Kamara?
According to the Scottish Sun, Kamara is closing in on a £5.5million deal that would see him swap the blue shirt of Glasgow for the white shirt of Leeds.
The report states that the Yorkshire outfit have ‘stepped up’ their efforts to sign Kamara over the last 24 hours, and they look likely to finalise the capture of their long-term target. Daniel Farke has been chasing Kamara’s signature throughout the summer, and the German was desperate to bring him in to Thorp Arch given that Leeds have seen Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson and Weston McKennie all pack their bags since the end of their relegation campaign.
Middlesbrough and Coventry are still in the race for Kamara, according to the publication, and whilst all three clubs have held talks with Kamara’s agency in the last few days, negotiations are at an advanced stage with Leeds – with Rangers selling the man they bought for just £50,000 from Dundee for a 100 times profit.
Kamara was a cornerstone of Steven Gerrard’s tenure at Ibrox, though new boss and former QPR man Michael Beale has punted him down the pecking order, with the likes of John Lundstram, Jose Cifuentes, Nicolas Raskin and ex-Norwich star Kieran Dowell all ahead of the Finland international in the pecking order in Glasgow.
Kamara was reportedly told to stay away from Ibrox in the summer whilst his future was up in the air, and though he is back in training, it appears a move to England is in the offing.
Would Glen Kamara be a good signing for Leeds United?
Absolutely. Whilst it’s unknown as to Michael Beale’s reasons for dropping the former Arsenal youth academy graduate from his setup, there is no doubting that Kamara is an extremely astute signing for just £5.5million.
At just 27 years of age, the 5ft 11in midfielder still has plenty to offer wherever he plays. Growing up in Arsenal’s Hale End academy, he made his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in a 3-0 loss back in 2016 – before loan moves at Southend and Colchester saw him join Dundee. But it is his time under Gerrard at Rangers that Kamara burst onto the scene. 118 league appearances for the Gers is no mean feat, and with 193 appearances for the Glaswegian giants, his credentials are quite clear for all to see.
Amazingly, Kamara has made over 50 appearances on the continental level for Rangers – helping the club reach the round of 16 stage of the Europa League in both 2019-20 and 2020-21, before scoring in the semi-final against RB Leipzig in 2021-22 to take Rangers to the Europa League final.
With a Scottish Premiership medal to boot, alongside being named in the 2020-21 Premiership Team of the Year, Kamara’s excellence on the ball in a deep-lying role could help take the pressure off of youngster Archie Gray, who despite excelling for Leeds at 17 years old, needs time to bed in properly.
He would all but provide an upgrade on Jamie Shackleton, whilst Ethan Ampadu could slot into centre-back if Kamara can fill in his role at times across the season.
