It was understood by Phil Hay from The Athletic that current Leeds boss Daniel Farke was desperate to reunite with the 31-year-old Scottish international over the summer by bringing him across to Elland Road.
However, even with an offer of around £4 million offered by Leeds, Norwich were quick to rebuff any approach from the recently relegated Premier League side, with the club refusing to entertain a deal to let him go.
In the end, Leeds ended up spending the best part of £11 million to bring in Finnish midfielder Glen Kamara from Rangers, as well as Bulgarian defensive midfielder Ilia Gruev from German outfit Werder Bremen.
McLean played under the guidance of the German manager during his time at Carrow Road, with the Scottish midfielder making the switch to Norfolk from Aberdeen in 2018 after being signed by Farke.
Since signing for the club, the Scot has made a total of 189 appearances for The Canaries, scoring 11 goals and assisting a further 18 during his time in Norfolk.
He was a key part of Farke’s midfield during the 2018/19 season, in which he helped take the club back into the Premier League by winning the Championship, with Norwich finishing the campaign on 94 points.
In the current season, Norwich currently find themselves seventh in the second-tier table, winning five of their first 11 games under fellow German manager David Wagner, who previously took Huddersfield Town into the Premier League.
As for Leeds, they occupy fifth position at present, sitting two points above The Canaries with two further draws, as well as also winning five of their first 11 games of the Championship season.
Leeds were relegated from the Premier League last season following a disappointing campaign as they finished 19th, taking the drop alongside Southampton and Leicester City.
Writer’s View
Kenny McLean is an experienced Championship midfielder, who knows what it takes to be a part of a successful side that can win promotion to the Premier League.
Daniel Farke clearly respected the midfielder during his time managing Norwich and would’ve been a shrewd piece of business if any move to Elland Road was pulled off. Unfortunately for Leeds, this was not the case, even with a reported offer of £4 million on the table.
However, the signing of Glen Kamara from Rangers, who has experience in playing in Europe, is looking like a great pickup for the Yorkshire side early on in the season as Leeds look to mount up the pressure as they search for an instant return back to the top flight.
