http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co....3-7m-bid-from-everton-for-sam-byram-1-7676546
tonight after the club accepted a £3.7m offer for him from Everton.
Byram is on the verge of quitting Elland Road following Everton’s decision to move in with a firm bid for Leeds’ former player-of-the-year.
The Premier League side sent European scout Ian Atkins to watch Byram during Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town and have tempted United to cash in on him.
Byram’s exit was widely expected this month after Leeds failed with attempts to extend his contract, which expires at the end of this season.
Owner Massimo Cellino angered Byram’s camp last December by proposing a deal which would have cut the 22-year-old’s £12,000-a-week salary.
Byram rejected that offer out of hand and was publicly criticised by Cellino. The Italian accused Byram - the leading appearance-maker in United’s current squad after 143 games - of thinking “Leeds was too small of him” but contract talks resumed briefly two months ago after head coach Steve Evans asked Cellino to start fresh negotiations.
Byram, however, rejected an offer to retain his existing wage and tie him down to the summer of 2017.
Evans has continued to use him in United’s Championship season but the club were prepared to sell Byram if their valuation of him was met. The club stood to earn around £2m in compensation if Byram remained at Elland Road until the end of his deal.
West Ham United were also interested in him but Everton’s bid - accepted this evening - is likely to prompt a rapid exit provided Byram agrees personal terms and passes a medical.
The youngster, who broke through from United’s academy unheralded in 2012 and won the club’s player-of-the-year award in his first full season as a professional, is unlikely to be considered for Saturday’s game against Sheffield Wednesday.
