Charlton Athletic, Fleetwood Town and Carlisle United want Premier League midfielder
Charlton Athletic, Fleetwood Town and Carlisle United want Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Marc Leonard, according to a report by Football Insider.
The League One trio have all joined the race to land the Premier League youngster on loan this summer ahead of the new season.
Leonard, 21, spent last term at Northampton Town and helped the Cobblers gain promotion from League Two under Jon Brady.
Football Insider claim he will be handed a new by the Seagulls before heading out again for the next campaign as Roberto De Zerbi’s side to look to help him continue his development.
Charlton, Carlisle and Fleetwood in battle
Charlton have been busy over recent times as Dean Holden looks to build a squad capable of mounting a push for promotion. They boosted their options in the middle of the park by bringing in Panutche Camara from Ipswich Town and could see Leonard as someone to provide more competition and depth in that department.
Fleetwood and Carlisle may fancy their chances of being able to offer the Scotland youth international more game time than the Addicks would. The latter are back in the third tier following their promotion from League Two in May after beating Stockport County on penalties in the final at Wembley.
Brighton snapped up Leonard back in 2018 after he had spells in the academies at Rangers and Hearts. He has since played twice for the Seagulls’ first-team and has mainly been used in their development squad.
Northampton came calling last year and he was given the green light to join the Cobblers to get some experience under his belt in the fourth tier. He went on to make 48 appearances during his time at Sixfields and will now be eager to test himself at a higher level.
Transfer interest in Marc Leonard increases
It has been claimed previously that the youngster is on the radar of QPR, although it remains to be seen whether Gareth Ainsworth pushes to bring the player to the London club.
There is further interest in Leonard though, with Football Insider revealing that Charlton, Fleetwood and Carlisle are all keen on the player.
They would all be able to offer the player League One football, and Brighton will ensure that their young talent has regular minutes as he looks to continue his development.
When will Leonard leave Brighton?
The update indicates a decision is expected soon regarding Leonard’s future, with the player set to sign a new extended contract with the Premier League side before he makes the move away.
That highlights how Brighton do still have long-term hopes for Leonard, and it will give him another confidence boost ahead of his loan spell, as he knows his future is sorted, ensuring he can concentrate on his football next season, as he looks to deliver at a higher level.
Who will sign Marc Leonard?
Obviously, this is going to be down to Brighton, and when you look at how they’ve managed their exciting young talents in recent years, it’s fair to say they know what they’re doing!
They will prioritise game time for Leonard, but the style of play is also important, and you can imagine from the teams mentioned that a move to Charlton would appeal. Dean Holden is building a squad that he hopes will compete for promotion, so there will be a bit more pressure at The Valley than there would be with Fleetwood or Carlisle.
