Leeds United have placed a £500,000 price tag on defender Lewie Coyle, amid growing interest from a number of League One sides, a report from Football Insider has claimed.

Coyle has spent the last two and a half years away from Leeds United on loan with Fleetwood Town in the third-tier of English football, making a total of 121 appearances in all competitions for the Cod Army.

That loan is set to expire this month, and it seems there are plenty of teams from within the third-tier keen on making a permanent move for the full-back.

Fleetwood are said to want to secure the services of Coyle on a long-term basis, while Blackpool have also been credited with an interest in the 24-year-old, with recent reports now claiming that Sunderland have also entered the race for the defender's signature, and those interested parties now know how much that move will cost.

According to the latest reports, Leeds are demanding a total of around £500,000 for the defender, who Marcelo Bielsa is said to be willing to sell this month, with Coyle apparently not in the Argentine's plans either this season or beyond.

Coyle's contract with Leeds is set to expire at the end of this season, meaning the current transfer window is their last chance to receive a fee for the defender, before he is free to leave the club for nothing in the summer if no deal has been agreed before that point.

The Verdict

I think this is probably a fair price for Leeds to demand here.

A fee of around £500,000 is one that those sides linked with him, in particular Sunderland, should be able to afford, so Leeds ought to secure the fee they want for a player they face losing for nothing in a few months, meaning this could be a good piece of business for them.

Indeed, with the level of interest there is in Coyle, you wonder whether this could even prompt something of a bidding war for the sought after defender, possibly earning Leeds slightly more than the £500,000 they are demanding.