Leeds United set to pip Birmingham City to transfer deal | OneFootball

The Whites have reportedly won the race to sign Robbie Cook, who is a highly-rated goalkeeper.

Leeds United have secured a deal to sign Australian goalkeeper Robbie Cook.

Alan Nixon believes the Whites have managed to win this race, despite Birmingham City's attempt to hijack the deal.

Leeds are fairly strong in their shot-stopper department at this stage, with Illan Meslier remaining number one after their relegation back to the Championship, Karl Darlow joining last summer and Alex Cairns also available as an option.

However, Meslier has been linked with a move away from Elland Road during the 2024/25 campaign and Darlow is 34 now, so the Whites need to look to the future to give themselves the best chance of securing long-term success.

They have made a move for Cook, 17, who is a very highly-rated figure at Perth Glory and was always likely to be snapped up by another club sooner rather than later.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn't short of interest from other teams in 2024.

Leeds United win race for Robbie Cook

Cook's future has been the subject of speculation for some time - and for the player's sake - this speculation probably needed to come to an end.

Nixon now believes Leeds have been able to get a deal over the line for the 17-year-old, who looks set to make the permanent move away from Perth Glory.

At this point, Cook probably won't play in the first team, but he will become one of the Whites' most promising players and will be hoping to push for a place in the senior side in the coming years.

The West Yorkshire side had to fend off interest in his signature, with Birmingham making a late move to try and sign him.

Blues aren't short of cash despite their relegation to League One, so Leeds may have had to battle hard to ensure this deal was completed.

It's also worth noting that the keeper was on trial at Sunderland earlier this year and was of interest to the Black Cats.

However, they already have some talented keepers at their disposal, including Matty Young, so they didn't need to make a move for Cook.

Leeds probably won't use Cook in the short term.

However, he's someone who clearly has a very decent amount of potential.

And it wouldn't be a surprise to see him establish himself as a fairly important part of the first team in the coming years.

Keepers often have longer careers and this is why Cook doesn't need to panic if things don't quite work out at Elland Road.

But he will be keen to thrive there - and he arrives in West Yorkshire at an exciting time - with promotion to the Premier League very much a possibility.