Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Marc Leonard is attracting interest from Hapoel Be'er Sheva ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a report from the Daily Record's transfer blog (07/06, 12:05pm).

It is understood the Israeli outfit are keen on signing the Scotland Under-21 international on a loan deal from the Seagulls.

Leonard recently emerged as a potential target for League One side Wycombe Wanderers.

A report from The Mirror journalist David Anderson suggested that the Chairboys were aiming to reach an agreement with Brighton over a temporary deal for the 20-year-old

Utrecht and Brondby IF have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Leonard who was utilised regularly at Under-23 level by the Seagulls last season.

The midfielder featured on 22 occasions in the Premier League 2 Division 1 for Brighton.

During these fixtures, Leonard managed to score four goals whilst he also provided three assists for his team-mates.

Leonard only featured twice for the club's senior side in the previous term as he started in Brighton's League Cup victories over Cardiff City and Swansea City.

Brighton are reportedly looking to further the midfielder's development by giving him the opportunity to play first-team football elsewhere in the 2022/23 campaign.

Wycombe will be able to offer Leonard the chance to feature in the third-tier whilst Beer-Sheva are set to participate in the Europa League after finishing second in the Israeli Premier League last month.

 

 

The Verdict

This particular development could turn out to be a blow for Wycombe in terms of their hopes of securing the services of Leonard as he may be attracted by the prospect of featuring in Europe later this year.

The Chairboys will unquestionably be keen to bolster their squad this summer after narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship via the play-offs in May.

In order to stay in contention for Leonard's signature, it could be argued that Wycombe will need to offer assurances to Brighton in terms of game-time.

With there being no guarantee that they will be able to convince the Seagulls to sanction a move, the Chairboys may find it beneficial to draft up a list of alternative targets.