Huddersfield Town transfer complete as League One rivals threaten to ‘hijack’ Alfie May deal

Huddersfield Town’s move for Charlton Athletic striker Alfie May has reportedly been ‘hijacked’ by promotion rivals Birmingham City.

Football Insider reported late last week that Town had accepted a £750,000 bid from the Addicks for May, who has been League One’s top goalscorer for the past year.

Their initial report stated that the Terriers “made a breakthrough in negotiations following further talks on Friday and are now closing in on a deal for the 30-year-old”, with personal terms yet to be discussed.

Read more: Huddersfield Town kick off pre-season with 5-0 win over non-league club

However, the same outlet then reported on Saturday that Birmingham had “submitted a £775,000 offer to Charlton for May”, which had reportedly been accepted, with the striker now set to “hold talks” with the Blues.

Town are said to be targeting a striker who has scored 27 goals in 50 games in all competitions for the Addicks following his move from Cheltenham Town last summer. May also scored 48 times for the Robins in the two seasons before his move to the Valley.

The 30-year-old was signed for Cheltenham by now Terriers boss Michael Duff, with the pair working together for two-and-a-half seasons before the manager left the club to join Barnsley.

May began his non-league career with a number of clubs before earning a move to the professional game in January 2017 when he joined League Two side Doncaster Rovers from Hythe Town.

Football Insider also claimed that the Terriers and Plymouth Argyle “have made inquiries over the signing” of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Marc Leonard, while Birmingham City have “now turned their attention to the 22-year-old”.

Leonard spent the last two seasons on loan at Northampton Town, making 97 appearances for the Cobblers in all competitions during that time. The midfielder won the club’s Player of the Season award last term.

The midfielder made two EFL Cup appearances for the Seagulls in the 2021/22 campaign, while the Scot has also featured for his country at Under-17, U18, U19 and U21 level.

The same network also reported that the Terriers have “opened talks to sign Mickel Miller from Plymouth Argyle on a free transfer”. The website claimed the Terriers are “in the frame to beat several Championship and League One clubs to the signature of the winger”, who is now a free agent.

The 28-year-old made 37 appearances in all competitions for the Pilgrims last term, who finished fourth from bottom in the Championship and avoided relegation on the final day of the campaign.

Miller is another player who started out in non-league, before the left-back joined then-Scottish Premiership side Hamilton Academical from Carshalton Athletic in January 2018.

The defender went on to sign for Rotherham United in 2020 and made 39 appearances over two seasons with the Millers before joining the Pilgrims in 2022. He also had a loan spell away from Rotherham with Northampton Town during the 2020 campaign/ 21.

The Terriers have had one arrival and one departure so far this summer, with Lasse Sorensen joining from Lincoln City while Jack Rudoni left Town to sign for Coventry City.

A former Town player has also been on the move in recent days, with Scott Malone joining Crawley Town from Gillingham. The left-back spent one season with the Terriers in the Premier League following his arrival from Fulham and made 28 appearances in all competitions before leaving the club to sign for Derby County.

The 33-year-old has now joined the newly-promoted League One outfit on a one-year deal after making 48 appearances for the Gills last term.