Leeds United are on the verge of promotion.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side sit atop the Championship, three points clear of West Bromwich Albion and six clear of third-placed Brentford.
Leeds have just three games of the season remaining and could actually be promoted on Thursday, if Brentford fail to beat Preston North End on Wednesday, and Bielsa’s men then win against Barnsley.
If that doesn’t work out, and Brentford win, Leeds would need just one point from their final two games.
The permutations come after a 1-0 win over Swansea City on Sunday, in which Pablo Hernandez scored an 89th-minute winner.
It means that Leeds can start tentatively planning for life in next season’s Premier League, and they have already attempted to pull off one signing.
Per The Athletic’s Phil Hay and Matt Woosnam, Leeds attempted to sign Jadan Raymond from Crystal Palace.
The 16-year-old was the subject of discussions between Leeds and his representatives but the deal was scuppered by potential compensatory fees.
They feared that a tribunal would rule that a fee of £750,000 would be payable to the Eagles if they snapped Raymond up, but the club were unwilling to commit given uncertainty over whether they would be promoted.
Raymond, who has also been eyed by Chelsea, is a central midfielder who has been capped twice by England’s U17 side, though he has yet to make it into a first-team squad at Selhurst Park.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
This is really smart business from Leeds.
Raymond is regarded as a box-to-box midfielder who can carry the ball well and pass accurately and vertically.
But he has yet to prove his worth at senior level and it does not make sense for Leeds to splash the cash on a player who may not ever play for the club.
That is particularly true if promotion is secured; one can expect an influx of players this summer as they prepare for life in the top-flight.
That would only block Raymond’s pathway to the first-team.
Pulling out of this deal is a good move.