Sheffield United given Marc Leonard transfer encouragement as "outstanding" star pitched to Celtic, Rangers

Sheffield United have been given some encouragement in their reported transfer pursuit of Marc Leonard, with the Scottish midfielder’s current manager insisting he is good enough to play for Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers. The 22-year-old is on loan at Northampton Town from Brighton and Hove Albion, but could move on this summer.

A report from Football Insider has suggested that United and Hull City are two sides interested in exploring a move, with a fee of £300,000 mentioned for a player whose contract expires in 2025. The Seagulls also have an option to extend that by a further season, further strengthening their bargaining position over the midfielder who was named Town’s player of the season after helping the Cobblers to League One safety in their first season after promotion.

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United and Hull are not the only sides interested in Leonard ahead of next season’s Championship campaign, with the Blades’ Premier League relegation confirmed after last weekend’s heavy defeat at Newcastle United. Boss Chris Wilder is keen to oversee a big summer rebuild, with Leonard fitting the type of profile that has brought United success in the past.

“I feel for the here and now and for the longer term I would say Marc Leonard is one that both Rangers and Celtic should be looking at,” Northampton boss Jon Brady told the Daily Record. “I know both teams have a lot of talent in the midfield but Marc is an outstanding young Scottish player. I believe he can go all the way to the top and if Rangers or Celtic were to come in for him then I feel he has the talent to flourish for either side.

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“He is beyond us now and rightly so. There is a lot of interest in him from the English Championship. Certainly with the ability he has, for me, to be testing himself, at least in the Championship. He would be a huge asset to any team in that league. The improvement in him has been scary. He came as a very good technical player but now he has gone up so many levels.

“He has risen to every challenge we gave him and in the end, he was just grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and being a real difference maker. He came as a young player but has left Northampton as a man.”

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Leonard first joined the Cobblers in League Two, helping them win promotion before stepping up a division and helping them establish a foothold in League One. Leonard’s first taste of senior football has been an undeniable success and is likely to have only whetted his appetite for more. His five goals and nine assists this season tell their own story from midfield but his availability record will also have impressed United, with Wilder keen to ensure his players are more “robust” next season after a campaign heavily disrupted by various fitness issues.

“Marc is only 22 and he played 97 games in over two seasons,” Brady added. “This season he played every single league game. I think he only missed about 20 minutes of the season. To come out of academy and be so robust at his age is a huge credit to him.

“Especially when it is every Saturday and Tuesday and it is even more brutal through the Christmas period. His experience at Northampton will land him in good stead and now he is definitely ready to go right up the levels. But where he goes next is up to Marc and Brighton.”