Out-of-favour Leeds United defender 'close' to securing £3.8m transfer to French club

Charlie Cresswell is closing in on a £3.8m move to French side Toulouse. That is according to Sun journalist Alan Nixon on his Patreon page, with the Ligue 1 side having reportedly moved ahead of rivals in the race to land the Leeds United defender this summer.

Cresswell is said to be keen on a move abroad for the next step in his career after falling out of favour at Elland Road. Toulouse, who finished in 11th spot in the Ligue 1 standings last season, are believed to be eager to tie up a deal for Cresswell as quickly as possible.

Despite signing a long-term deal at United almost 12 months ago, Cresswell has struggled for game time throughout Daniel Farke's tenure. The academy graduate only managed five Championship appearances last term. The centre-back was linked with a raft of clubs in the January transfer window, including Middlesbrough and Millwall, but a deal failed to materialise.

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Cresswell found first team football hard to come by as Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk were Farke’s preferred centre-back partnership in the first half of the campaign. After Struijk suffered a long-term injury over the Christmas period, Farke elected to move Ampadu into the back four rather than turn to Cresswell to fill the void. Club captain Liam Cooper was viewed as the back up option, leaving Cresswell out in the cold.

News of interest in Cresswell's signature comes on the back of United selling Marc Roca to Real Betis. It is no secret that there is a need for the Whites to balance the books after missing out on promotion back to the Premier League.