Leeds United are battling Marseille for Norwich City striker Jonathan Rowe, although Roberto de Zerbi’s Ligue 1 giants have failed with an opening bid of less than £10 million.
After taking over one of European football’s sleeping giants, former Brighton and Hove Albi manager De Zerbi is determined to put his extensive knowledge of the English game to good use.
Marseille had previously bought Mason Greenwood from Manchester United for around £26 million. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who had been disappointed by his lack of regular appearances under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, has also signed.
The 1993 Champions League winners also hope to sign Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal. Personal arrangements have already been agreed upon, HITC understands, yet coming to terms on a fee has proven to be a considerably more challenging problem.
Meanwhile, the next English name on Marseille’s hit list is Jonathan Rowe.
Interestingly, HITC can disclose that Brighton watched the England Under 21 international during his outstanding breakout season with Norwich in 2023-24. De Zerbi was in charge then, and it appears that his interest in Rowe has followed him to France.
Leeds United meet Marseille in the hunt for Jonathan Rowe.
Norwich rejected Marseille’s opening approach, which was worth little shy of £10 million.
They remain interested, however. So does Leeds United, which now has money to spend and an offensive role available after selling Crysencio Summerville, branded irreplaceable by head coach Daniel Farke, to West Ham.
Farke is eager to relieve pressure on any new forward who enters to take Summerville’s place in the starting lineup. The sparkling Dutchman was, after all, Leeds’ leading scorer with 21 goals and the Championship Player of the Year.
Rowe, on the other hand, obviously has Summerville’s goal-scoring instincts and ability to win games. The Norwich academy graduate scored 13 goals for a largely underperforming team.
With only one year remaining on his contract, the Canaries are likely to consider selling for the appropriate price. What the ‘correct price’ is yet to be seen, but Norwich are definitely holding out for a fee that might exceed the £10 million mark.
During his Friday press conference, Norwich coach Johannes Hoff Thorup appeared to hint that both Rowe and the similarly exited Adam Idah would stay in contention for the Championship opener against Oxford United.
According to HITC, Idah is close to joining Celtic after receiving a new bid of around £6 million.
“These guys, they train with the group, and they are important players for the group,” Thorup tells Leeds Live. “We must appreciate the fact that the window is still open, as many things can happen. What happens is beyond our control.
“We have no control over whether or whether a club makes an offer. That is also what I tell my guys on a daily basis.
Fortunately, they are doing well. They’re doing fine. They’re training well, and I’d say their minds are prepared to perform.”
Norwich City’s ace possesses Premier League quality.
Steve Weaver, Norwich’s former Head of Football Development, is not concerned about Rowe’s potential or work ethic. He believes the talented 21-year-old will soon join the Premier League.
“It’s not surprising that he’s had the impact he has,” Weaver, who witnessed Rowe come through the ranks in East Anglia, says to Sky Sports. “He’s left-footed, right-footed, extremely swift, and he excels at the most difficult task in the game.
“Score goals.
“He’s ready to play in the Premier League,” Weaver says, praising Rowe’s desire to progress.
“He is going to test you. He was always curious. He always wanted to advance to the next level before he was ready. He’s an extremely rare breed. At 15, he’d simply come and talk to you. Other children will not do that; they expect someone to do it for them.
“He’d argue, make his case, and charm his way through most situations, but he’d always listen and learn.
“I always remember him turning to me during a training session and asking how to go to the next level. I mentioned that his numbers weren’t fantastic. He was not receiving enough goals or assists. Later, we got down and reviewed all of the data.
“You never had to sugarcoat anything with him. You may be honest. He merely took it away, reflected about it, and six weeks later made his professional debut.”
Leeds initially considered Rowe’s old Norwich teammate Gabriel Sara before the Brazilian agreed to join Galatasaray for £15 million.
