Leeds United sources rubbish claims that English club plan to ‘hijack’ Rodgers’ Celtic move

Contrary to reports, Leeds United will NOT attempt to hijack Brendan Rodgers return to Celtic.

Reports emerged on Wednesday morning that the West Yorkshire club were plotting a last-ditch swoop to try to derail the Hoops’ pursuit by luring the in-demand Northern Irishman to Elland Road to head up their EFL Championship promotion push.

Rodgers’ managerial ability has long been admired by club officials and following relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season, the 50-year-old’s name featured prominantly among a list of possible contenders to replace Sam Allardyce after he vacated the role.

But GlasgowWorld understands that while Rodgers has not spoken to Leeds thus far after being invited for an interview to discuss the job, sources close to the club claim efforts to ‘hijack’ his move back to Parkhead at the eleventh hour is wide of the mark.

The Yorkshire Evening Post claim Rodgers isn’t keen on managing in the English second tier and does not wish to be considered for the vacancy, with the Scottish champions able to offer Champions League football which is his likeliest destination. They state Rodgers ‘priority’ was a top-flight opportunity after leaving Leicester City earlier this year and a route back to the Premier League via the Scottish Premiership seems to have drawn him back earlier than anticipated.

The former Liverpool boss had initially planned to take a year long hiatus from the game before he was contacted by Celtic owner Dermot Desmond towards the end of last week to discuss whether he would be interested in returning to Glasgow’s East End for a second stint and that now appears to be gathering pace.

Following a hugely successful first spell, which saw him lift SEVEN trophies including a double treble between 2016 and February 2019, Rodgers faced a furious backlash from supporters after his controversial mid-season exit to take charge at the King Power Stadium. However, it is anticipated that the vast majority of fans would be willing to have a change of heart if he manages to bring further success and silverware to the club.

Rodgers is the Celtic hierarchy’s number one choice to succeed Ange Postecoglou and it appears he is on the brink of accepting the Bhoys’ offer to return north of the border with a second round of talks planned today. It is believed Desmond and chairman Peter Lawwell and “confident” Rodgers will agree to being re-appointed as manager, with an official announcement expected imminently.

Meanwhile, Leeds’ recruitment process has now moved to the interview stage, with ex-Norwich City boss Daniel Farke and West Brom manager Carlos Corberan under consideration by the club’s wealthy American owners, who are also in charge of NFL franchise San Francisco 49ers.