Latest reports from the Mirror indicates that Leeds United are prepared to end the pursuit of Newcastle United’s custodian Karl Darlow. The Whites have been linked with the former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper for quite some time now, but it seems like Rafael Benitez isn’t going to budge.
Reports add that it’s the price tag of £4m for the goalkeeper that has made the Whites pull out of this deal as they are unwilling to meet this demand. Marcelo Bielsa was looking to sign him on loan but his Spanish counterpart wants money upfront so that the Magpies can bolster their transfer budget.
With no conclusion in sight, it is likely now that the target has slipped away from the Whites’ grasp. Leeds United are in a desperate need of a goalkeeper for quite some time now, and they have been linked with quite a few including some heavyweight names like Tom Heaton (Daily Star). But they don’t seem to be any closer to pulling off any deal at the moment.
The Whites have been struggling to find a reliable no. 1 for quite some time now. Even last season, German goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald was behind some major howlers which cost the team dear. As a result, Bailey Peacock Farrell got promoted from the academy to the first team.
Darlow might have costed United £4m, but he would have solved their goalkeeping woes for years to come. Last season, the Englishman was a regular in the Premier League for Newcastle United, and he was only removed from the no. 1 spot when Dubravka came in January on loan. Rafael Benitez went on to sign the Slovakian permanently in the summer of 2018 and ever since, the 28-year-old has been the second choice at St. James’ park.
Given today’s transfer market, a £4m deal for a Premier League pedigree goalkeeper would have been a decent bet and we believe the Whites have made a mistake by not going through with this deal. They might have wanted him on a loan spell to test him out and then offer him a contract later, but Darlow has shown enough quality in the past as he has 140 appearances in the Championship.
William Huffer is the current second choice stopper at the West Yorkshire outfit and the fans would be keeping their fingers crossed that Peacock Farrell doesn’t suffer any injury this season. Bielsa had earlier confirmed (Yorkshire Evening Post) that he would have gone in with Jamal Blackman after the West Bromwich Albion game but the Chelsea loanee came down with an injury around that time. That showed that the manager had lost confidence in Peacock Farrell and not going for Darlow now might come back to cost the Whites.
