Ex-Leeds United man's pending transfer and target's loan decision leaves Whites in gang of three

Matt Grimes, who played a dozen times for the Whites during an unsuccessful loan spell, is wanted by Coventry City. Swansea City have reportedly accepted a Sky Blues offer for the 29-year-old midfielder and a move could be completed long before Coventry play host to Leeds next week.

Should that move go through then Leeds will stand as one of three second tier clubs who have not yet made a signing in the window, alongside Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls technically have completed incoming business with the renegotiated loan of Shea Charles, but given the Southampton midfielder graced Hillsborough for the first half of the season, Danny Rohl's squad has not been added to this month.

The Whites’ fellow promotion challengers have dabbled to varying degrees in the market. Sheffield United added Ben Brereton Diaz from Southampton on loan, Tom Cannon for £10m from Leicester City and Hamza Choudhury on loan, also from the Foxes. Sunderland have brought in Roma man Enzo Le Fee on loan with an option should they get promoted, while Burnley have added Oliver Sonne from Silkeborg, Ashley Barnes from Norwich on a free and Jonjo Shelvey from Eyupspor, also on a free.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke was tight lipped over transfers when he spoke to the media after Monday night's 0-0 draw at Burnley. The German quipped that he had not been able to look at his phone for six hours while concentrating on the game but might be able to say more when he sits down with the press again on Thursday afternoon. Farke has made it clear all along that a quiet month was expected at Leeds, due to the difficulty in improving a table-topping squad in the January window, but last week admitted there were three positions he was keeping in mind for potential strengthening - centre-back, striker and number 10.

The picture at the heart of his defence was complicated earlier in January by a hamstring problem for Pascal Struijk but the defender's problem was not as bad as it could have been and he was anticipated back in training in days rather than weeks. Only a further complication for the Dutchman, who missed the second half of last season with a groin injury, would send Leeds into the market for a defender.

Up front Farke has Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph vying for the number 9 role while Patrick Bamford rehabs a hamstring issue. Again, if Bamford's problem was to take a turn for the worse then Farke says the club would be alert to opportunities to bolster the attacking options.

But the number 10 position is where Farke could most do with reinforcements. Having pointed out at the end of the summer transfer window that he was lacking a natural playmaker for the position, Farke has relied heavily on Brenden Aaronson as his number 10 so far this season. The American has played all 29 Championship games and started the last 27 in a row, adding seven goals and two assists, though he is without a goal contribution in his last five outings.

Farke said last week: "It’s fair to say that if there is a creative offensive player out there, a bit more like a number 10 then it could be beneficial for our group. We have Brenden who has been excellent, a really key player for us but we don't have a similar player. We had Joel Piroe like a loose striker, perhaps one of our wingers could play it interpreting the role slightly differently but there is a solution it definitely makes sense to stay awake."

One solution that was known to be preferable for Farke was Emi Buendia but Aston Villa have confirmed that the Argentinian, who won a pair of Championship titles under Farke at Norwich City, has signed a contract extension and will immediately join Bundesliga title challengers Bayer Leverkusen on loan for the rest of the season.