Millwall target Charlie Cresswell is set to leave Leeds United this summer after the West Yorkshire agreed a fee with French side Toulouse.
The central defender fell out of favour at Elland Road last season under manager Daniel Farke. The German coach made it publicly clear that Cresswell would not regain his place in the squad until he was “mentally ready”, while it was reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post that the centre-half was for sale, with the board looking for a figure of between £4-5 million.
The Lions were said to be one of the clubs in the Championship interested in signing Cresswell back in January, alongside rivals league rivals Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich Town, although the latter have now been promoted to the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Millwall also faced competition for the 21-year-old from clubs abroad. Journalist Alan Nixon revealed that German outfit Hannover and French side Toulouse were keeping tabs on his situation with Leeds and this revelation has now come true.
Toulouse have come out on top in the battle for Cresswell’s signature for an undisclosed fee, as has been confirmed by Leeds United, and the Yorkshire Evening Post have reported that the two clubs have come to an agreement on his transfer fee which is said to be £3.8 million, a little less than their asking price six months ago. This figure has been backed up by BBC Sport.
It has also come to light earlier today by Football Insider that Toulouse have submitted a seven-figure bid for MK Dons star Max Dean, while Notts County centre-forward Macauley Langstaff has finally been announced as Millwall’s first signing of the summer transfer window.
Writer’s View
Cresswell spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Millwall from Leeds and was exceptional at times during his stint in South London. The centre-back played 30 times for the club and managed to score a whopping five goals as the side narrowly missed out on a spot in the play-offs.
It was not surprising that the Lions were keen to bring Cresswell back to The Den and he would have been an excellent acquisition for the club to avoid a repeat of last season’s relegation scrap. However, Millwall will unfortunately have to look elsewhere to bolster their backline ahead of the upcoming season.