Cranie to be offered Leeds deal

Championship giants Leeds United will offer free agent Martin Cranie a deal at the club after he impressed on trial.

The 25-year-old defender rejected a new deal at Coventry City, who were relegated to League One in April, and is available on a free transfer.

Cranie – who has represented England at five different underage levels – travelled with Leeds to Devon and Cornwall for three pre-season friendlies last week and acquitted himself well.

And although Jason Pearce and Tom Lees are likely to be United’s first-choice central defenders, Warnock is happy to sign Cranie if he accepts a back-up role at Elland Road.

“He’s a steady player and what I’d call a squad player,” Leeds manager Neil Warnock told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“Where it goes from here really depends on what Martin’s looking for and what we can afford to offer him.

“He’s calm, collected and a good lad who’s fitted in well with the other players. We just need to chat things over and see what happens.”

Cranie made 40 appearances for Coventry in all competitions last season.