Leeds are reportedly trying to hijack Norwich City’s plans to bring Angus Gunn back to Carrow Road.

As previously reported, the Canaries are understood to have struck a deal with Southampton worth £5million, which could rise to £10m if various performance-related fees are activated.

It’s believed that is a structured deal with an initial payment of £2.5m, with Gunn having two years remaining on his Saints contract.

Leeds have been linked with interest throughout the 25-year-old's career and the news of City’s deal has been followed by Football Insider claiming the Yorkshire side remain keen.

The report states that the Whites would like to move on number two keeper Kiko Casilla this summer after Illan Meslier impressed so much during the push to ninth place after Marcelo Bielsa’s team finally brought an end to 16 years outside of the Premier League.

French keeper Meslier, 21, took his chance towards the end of 2019-20 when former Real Madrid keeper Casilla was suspended for eight games after being found guilty of racial abuse – a charge he strongly contested.

The 34-year-old Spaniard has two years left on his contract but saw Meslier impress this season, being named Young Player of the Season at the club’s awards evening.

Gunn spent most of the campaign on loan in the Championship with Stoke but missed a couple of months with an ankle injury just as he was getting up to speed at his new club and struggled to settle after returning to fitness.

The Norwich-born keeper - the son of Canaries legend Bryan Gunn - finished third in the Player of the Season voting at Norwich after spending the 2017-18 season on loan from Manchester City, starting every league game.

MORE: Angus Gunn on Farke, Wes, Krul and whether he would return to City

Southampton reportedly paid an initial £10m - potentially rising to £13.5m - in 2018 and after a slow start, the arrival of Ralph Hasenhuttl soon had Gunn ahead of Alex McCarthy in the pecking order at St Mary’s.

He started 21 of 22 Premier League games but lost his place after a shock 9-0 defeat to Leicester in October 2019 and went out on loan to Stoke this season after Fraser Forster had returned from his loan at Celtic.

It’s believed the Canaries see their former academy trainee as ideal competition and cover for number one Tim Krul, as well as a potential long-term successor to the 33-year-old Holland international.

VERDICT: Our understanding is that the Canaries remain in pole position for Gunn and that a deal is close, with the hope of being concluded after a holiday overseas was completed.

However, City can’t do anything about other clubs expressing interest, if the fresh report is to be believed.

It seems highly unlikely that Gunn would flirt with a return to his boyhood club before opting to go elsewhere, given the high esteem he is held in by sporting director Stuart Webber and head coach Daniel Farke.

However, Leeds already look to be a stable Premier League force after an impressive season, so an offer to work with Bielsa at an undoubtedly huge club could prove tempting.

After a frustrating 18 months, a return to Norwich appears to make a lot of sense for all parties, with Gunn becoming a father last year and likely to be keen on stability off the pitch as he looks to get his career moving in the right direction.

At 25, he still has plenty of time on his side as a goalkeeper and has always had the option of representing Scotland internationally if he can start playing regularly again and another England opportunity doesn’t arrive.

MORE: All you need to know about Angus Gunn ahead of his City return