Wolves make Leeds wait on Doyle transfer

WOLVERHAMPTON Wanderers will delay a decision on the future of Leeds United target Kevin Doyle for another two weeks to allow manager Kenny Jackett to hold talks with the striker.
Leeds' Stephen Warnock and Wolves' Kevin DoyleLeeds' Stephen Warnock and Wolves' Kevin Doyle
Leeds' Stephen Warnock and Wolves' Kevin Doyle

The Molineux club are not prepared to open the door to offers for Doyle until he and his new boss sit down for discussions on the opening day of pre-season training.

Leeds, who made their first summer signing on Monday by landing Oldham Athletic forward Matt Smith, have joined SPL champions Celtic in making their interest in Doyle known with the 29-year-old seemingly on his way out of Wolves.

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Wanderers are unlikely to be willing to continue financing his salary of £25,000 a week – a deal which has two years to run – in the wake of their relegation to League One but newly-appointed Jackett is insisting that no departures take place before he talks face-to-face with his entire squad a week on Monday.

Doyle is understood to favour a transfer away from Molineux and his contract with Wolves contained no clause to reduce his wages in the event of relegation. He would almost certainly be asked to take a cut in salary to move to Elland Road but his prior relationship with Brian McDermott could convince him to push for a deal with Leeds.

In his role as Reading’s chief scout, McDermott was responsible for lining up the transfer which took Doyle from Cork City to the Madejski Stadium in 2005 and the United boss is keen on linking up with him again.

Leeds’ signing of Smith, who will officially leave Oldham on a free transfer on July 1, added another attacking outlet to the squad at Elland Road but McDermott seems set on recruiting at least one more striker in build-up to the start of next season.

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Reading’s Noel Hunt – a player whose deal ends in little over a fortnight’s time – continues to be strongly linked with United following McDermott’s admission that he was “inches away” from verbally agreeing the signing of a second player.

Hunt is thought to have received alternative approaches but is believed to be interested in playing under McDermott again. The Republic of Ireland international figured prominently in the Reading squad which won promotion to the Premier League during McDermott’s reign as manager last year.

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Suggestions that Hunt could be followed to Leeds by his brother Stephen appear to be premature, however, with sources close to the former Hull City player denying that he has held talks with McDermott.

The 31-year-old is leaving Wolves after three years at Molineux and will become a free agent at the start of next month. He is another player, like his brother and Doyle, who joined Reading during McDermott lengthy and productive spell in charge of the club’s scouting team.

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McDermott appeared confident of further progress in the transfer market yesterday, telling the YEP: “We’re getting closer to a few other deals. I’m very close to another one. We’re inches away.

“My view is that once I have verbally agreed a deal, it’s a deal. Hopefully we can get the deals done as quick as we can but if we can’t get them done until July, we’ll wait until July.”

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