Leeds United face a battle with Marseille for Norwich City star Jonathan Rowe although Roberto de Zerbi’s Ligue 1 giants have failed with an initial offer of under £10 million.
After taking over at one of European football’s sleeping giants, former Brighton and Hove Albion boss De Zerbi appears determined to put his detailed knowledge of the English game to good use.
Marseille have already signed Mason Greenwood from Manchester United for a deal in the region of £26 million. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – frustrated with his lack of regular starts under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur – has joined too.
The 1993 Champions League winners are also hoping to bring in Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal too. Personal terms have been agreed already, HITC understands, even if coming to terms on a fee has proven to be a far more difficult challenge.
The next English-based name on Marseille’s hitlist, meanwhile, is that of Jonathan Rowe.
Interestingly, HITC can confirm that Brighton watched the England Under 21 international during his stellar breakout campaign with Norwich in 2023/24. De Zerbi was at the helm then, and it appears his interest in Rowe has followed him to France.
Leeds United face Marseille battle for Jonathan Rowe
Marseille have seen their opening bid – worth just shy of £10 million – rejected by Norwich.
They remain keen, however. So too do a Leeds United side who have money to spend and an attacking role free after selling Crysencio Summerville – dubbed irreplaceable by head coach Daniel Farke – to West Ham.
Farke is keen to reduce the pressure on any new forward who arrives to take Summerville’s place in the starting XI. The dazzling Dutchman was, after all, both Leeds’ 21-goal top-scorer and the Championship Player of the Year.
Rowe, however, clearly possesses Summerville’s eye for goal and his match-winning capabilities. The Norwich academy graduate scored a very impressive 13 times for a largely under-performing side.
And with just one year left on his contract, the likelihood is that The Canaries will consider cashing in for the right price. What that ‘right price’ is remains to be seen, though Norwich are clearly holding out for a fee that may go beyond the £10 million threshold.
Norwich coach Johannes Hoff Thorup seemed to suggest, during his Friday press conference, that both Rowe and the similarly exit-linked Adam Idah would remain in contention for the Championship opener away to Oxford United.
Idah, HITC understands, is close to joining Celtic after a new bid of around £6 million arrived.
“These guys, they train with the group, and they are important players for the group,” Thorup says, via Leeds Live. “We have to respect that the that the window is still open so many things can happen. We cannot affect what will happen.
“We cannot affect whether there will be an offer from a club here or there. That’s also what I tell the players on a daily basis.
“Fortunately, they are they’re doing well. They’re performing well. They’re training well and I will also say that their heads are ready to perform.”
Norwich City ace has Premier League qualities
Steve Weaver, Norwich’s former Head of Football Development, has no concerns about either Rowe’s talent or his work ethic. He feels the Premier League awaits in the near future for the gifted 21-year-old.
“It’s not very surprising he’s had the impact he has had,” Weaver, who watched Rowe rise through the ranks in East Anglia, tells Sky Sports. “He’s left-footed, right-footed, very, very quick, and he does the hardest thing in the game as well as anyone.
“Score goals.
“He’s ready to play in the Premier League,” Weaver adds, hailing Rowe’s drive to improve.
“He’ll test you. He was always curious. He’d always want to be at the next level long before he was ready. He’s a very rare breed. At 15, he’d just come and talk to you. Other kids won’t do that, they want someone to do it for them.
“He’ll have an argument, he’ll make his point, and he could charm his way around a lot of things, but he’d always listen and learn.
“I always remember him turning to me during a training session and asking how to get to the next level. I said his numbers weren’t great. He wasn’t getting enough goals or assists. Later, we sat down and went through all the data.
“You never had to sugarcoat things with him. You could be honest. He just took it away, thought about it, and six weeks later he made his professional debut.”
Leeds looked at Rowe’s former Norwich team-mate Gabriel Sara initially, before the Brazilian made a £15 million move to Galatasaray.
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