Sheffield Wednesday's Yorkshire rivals have bid 'rejected' for former Owls loanee Shea Charles - report
Former Sheffield Wednesday loanee Shea Charles has been the subject of a £20million offer from Leeds United.
Southampton have ‘rejected’ a bid from Leeds United for former Sheffield Wednesday loanee Shea Charles, according to a report by The Athletic.
Charles, who spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Hillsborough, played a key role in Southampton storming their way up the Championship table in the second half of last season and reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
The midfielder, who excelled during his time with Wednesday, made 38 appearances for the Saints last term, scoring six goals across all competitions. He scored at key moments, netting the winner against Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals and what everyone thought was the goal that had taken Tonda Eckert’s side to the Championship play-off final.
However, the Saints were expelled from the richest game in football for being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough. They were also guilty of spying on Oxford United and Ipswich Town during the regular season. It meant Middlesbrough were reinstated to the play-off final and they faced Hull City at Wembley.
As a result of the Spygate scandal and their promotion hopes being taken away from them, Southampton face the prospect of losing some of their key players this summer. Charles is widely considered as one of their most exciting talents, and it has been reported that Leeds have seen an offer of ‘around £20million’ knocked back.
It is reported by The Athletic that ‘talks remain ongoing’ between Leeds and Southampton, but the latter is ‘seeking’ more than the £20m that has been put on the table. Charles has just one year remaining on his contract at St Mary’s, meaning Leeds will no doubt be taking that into account when trying to negotiate a deal.
The Northern Ireland international, who captured the hearts of Wednesdayites during his season-long loan spell at Hillsborough, joined Southampton from Manchester City in July 2023 and has made 76 appearances for the club.
He has made one appearance in the Premier League in his career thus far, appearing as a second half substitute in a 1-0 defeat for Manchester City at the hands of Brentford on the final day of the 2022/23 season. That marked his first and only appearance for the Citizens.