Norwich City transfer rumours: Canaries keen on Leeds United boss Garry Monk

Leeds United boss Garry Monk appears to be heading for the Elland Road exit. Picture: PA PA Wire

Are Norwich City about to raid Leeds United yet again?

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Are Norwich City about to raid Leeds United yet again?

The Yorkshire club’s fans have already been hurt by City’s acquisitions of some of their top players in recent years.

Bradley Johnson, Robert Snodgrass and Jonny Howson all headed south to Carrow Road – to great effect.

And now it seems the Canaries are plotting to nick their manager.

A national newspaper report claimed that Garry Monk is on sporting director Stuart Webber’s shopping list to take on the new role as City’s head coach.

Webber is believed to be preparing a shortlist of two, possibly three, names to be presented to the board before the season ends on May 7.

Whoever gets the nod is then likely to be in place two or three weeks after the curtain comes down.

Webber also needs to appoint heads of recruitment for the UK and for Europe – a process which is much further advanced than the search for a head coach.

Monk’s name had been mentioned as the dust settled on the exit of Alex Neil in March, but has now come to the fore again – and the timing could not be more incendiary as the Canaries visit Elland Road on Saturday.

The former Swansea manager’s future depends on two main factors: whether Leeds can get themselves into a play-off position and whether they decide to exercise their option of extending the 38-year-old’s 12-month contract to the end of next season.

The latter may depend on the former – a recent run of poor form has seen Leeds slip out of the top six for the first time since November, leaving them three points behind sixth-placed Fulham, with an inferior goal difference.

Monk also guided Swansea to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League during his time at the Liberty Stadium.

If Leeds and Monk do part company there is likely to be plenty of interest in someone considered to be among the country’s best young managers.

If Monk – who played with Neil during his time at Barnsley – does head to City it would extend something of a production line, and a successful one at that. Howson is the current player of the season and in the running to retain the title, Johnson won it in 2015 and Snodgrass in 2014.