Leeds United's post-Crysencio Summerville plan kicks in with reports of move for Championship winger

As soon as the Whites lost the Championship play-off final to Southampton in May, it seemed clear there was a good chance Summerville would move to the Premier League without them having been named Championship player of the year after a campaign which saw him score 21 goals in all competitions.

As a result, Leeds had been making contingencies for that day and fortunately for them it has come early in August, with a move to West Ham United thought to be worth an initial £25m plus add-ons.

Fenerbahce's Ryan Kent had been mooted as a potential replacement but there are reports Leeds have approached Norwich over a possible £7m move for Rowe.

"It's not that we're not prepared for such a scenario because, yes, especially in the last days and last weeks, it looked like this can happen and we have prepared in the best possible way," commented manager Daniel Farke.

“He (Summerville) was, I would say, the best player in this league last season, with many goals, with many assists. It will never be easy to replace him, especially not one on one, we have to be aware to bring in on his position, a player definitely.

“Also, as a team, we have to make sure we share his goals and assists because to bring a player in who will be the new best player in this league will be pretty difficult.

“We are working on solutions in order to make sure we find good solutions to compensate for this loss and try to be in other areas perhaps even a bit stronger. This is what we will do once this business really happens.”

Farke's immediate successor at Carrow Road, Dean Smith, handed Rowe a Premier League debut in December 2021, but last season was his breakthrough campaign, scoring 12 goals in 32 Championship appearances, 25 from the start and starting both legs of the play-off semi-final against Leeds.

The Whites' season starts on Saturday at home to Portsmouth but that is not a pressing deadline to land a replacement for Summerville, with Dan James and Willy Gnonto offering good options on the wings.