Leeds United target Matthew Pennington signs new Everton deal

Leeds United's chances of landing defender Matthew Pennington on a permanent deal have been ended after he was handed a new contract by parent club Everton.

The Whites looked at securing a permanent move for the loanee in January but have seen their hopes of landing him on a permanent basis scuppered.

Pennington remained high on Leeds' summer wish list but the central defender has now committed his immediate future to the Toffees after putting pen-to-paper on a three-year deal at Goodison Park.

The 23-year-old joined Leeds last August on a season-long loan deal and made 24 Championship appearances for the club in total.

Following the announcement the defender took to Twitter to thank the everyone at the club for his spell in West Yorkshire: "I also want to say a massive thank you to everyone at Leeds United. I’ve really enjoyed my season loan and wish you all the success for the future."