da heads bet： According to reports in the Daily Mail, Leeds United have been joined by a host of clubs in the race to sign £5m-rated Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone this summer.
da pixbet： Despite only signing a new two-year deal in October, the report says that the 24-year-old has been told he is now surplus to requirements at Old Trafford by manager Jose Mourinho and could be sold for around £5m, with Championship rivals Sunderland, Bristol City and Aston Villa, where he spent the second half of last season on loan, all interested.
However, Premier League sides Watford and Leicester are also in the frame to sign the United academy graduate who is demand following his spell at Villa Park.
Although they are currently manager-less and still looking for Garry Monk’s successor, Leeds will be thinking about possible summer additions and owner Andrea Radrizzani could certainly do a lot worse than splash the cash on Johnstone.
Here are three reasons Leeds should spend £5m on Johnstone…
They need a new goalkeeper
While Rob Green is one of the most consistent and experienced goalkeepers in the Championship, Leeds will know that they have to start thinking about a long-term replacement sooner rather than later.
At 37 years of age, Green is certainly in the twilight of his playing career and the 24-year-old Johnstone would be a great replacement seeing as he could be the Yorkshire outfit’s number for the next 10 years.
If he was to make a significant impact and move on, the club could stand to make a profit on their £5m purchase of the United stopper.
Experience and potential to step up
While he may not have ever made an appearance for Manchester United, Johnstone has spent plenty of time out on loan with Championship clubs.
The 24-year-old has played in the division with Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers and Preston North End, although his most productive spell came with Aston Villa last season.
The stopper showed how good he can be by keeping eight clean sheets in 21 league appearances, including an eight-match run where he conceded just once.
While he can perform at that level, Johnstone also has the potential to step up to the Premier League with Leeds if they win promotion, which would mean that the £5m is a sound investment.
Statement of intent
New Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani didn’t expect to have find a new manager after Garry Monk surprisngly decided to hand in his resignation, and it would have been a disappointing decision for the supporters after they came so close to finishing in the play-offs last season.
The fans will want to challenge for promotion again next term and they would certainly get behind their new owner if he showed his ambition by investing in the squad.
If Leeds pulled off a £5m deal and saw off the likes of Aston Villa and Sunderland for Johnstone’s signature, it would certainly be a big statement of intent.
Do you agree, Whites fans? Let us know below.