Former Leeds United man has Premier League return on the cards as makeweight for Serie A bid

According to reports from Italian journalists Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca Di Marzio, both McKennie and Illing Junior are on offer from Juventus, along with between €18m and €20m in cash. Villa are reportedly determined to land both players as well as the fee in order to make the deal. Negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs and Di Marzio suggests that an agreement has been reached between the English club and McKennie.

The American midfielder suffered a difficult first taste of English football during a loan spell with Leeds that could have led to a permanent transfer. The Whites signed him on loan in January 2023 to be part of Jesse Marsch’s squad, with a view to a permanent move in the summer. He made 19 Premier League appearances for Leeds, 16 of which were starts, but was unable to add any goals and contributed just a single assist. McKennie, now 25, struggled to find favour with the fanbase during a torrid season that cost Marsch his job, before replacement Javi Gracia also came and went. McKennie’s third and final manager of his half-season stint was Sam Allardyce, an emergency appointment who could not arrest the club’s slide into the Championship. The idea of making McKennie a permanent addition was never explored by Elland Road chiefs and he returned to Italy.

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Speaking back in November, McKennie admitted he “didn’t have the best performances” and he “felt [he] let certain people down,” while on loan at Leeds. This season he has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence with Juventus, contributing seven assists as a mainstay of a side that finished third in Serie A and landed the Coppa Italia.

McKennie was one of three US Men’s National Team midfielders at Leeds during Marsch’s tenure but he was followed out of the exit door by both Tyler Adams, who went to Bournemouth in a permanent summer transfer, and Brenden Aaronson, who exercised his relegation release clause to make a loan move to Union Berlin. The YEP reported on Monday however that Aaronson is to make a return to be part of Daniel Farke’s plans this summer after the Copa América.

Read more: Leeds escapee set for surprise return after Daniel Farke talks.