Leeds United 'interested' in £9m Man Utd midfielder but Championship promotion rivals in 'pole position'

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Daniel Farke is keen on signing midfield reinforcements at Leeds United.

Leeds United are reportedly interested in Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri - although they face competition from Championship rivals Burnley.

Midfield reinforcements remain a priority at Elland Road with just nine days until the transfer window closes, with Daniel Farke keen to sign a replacement for Glen Kamara, who joined Stade Rennais in an £8million deal more than a month ago. The German has made clear his desire to find competition for Joe Rothwell in the more attacking midfield role.

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Reports of interest in Oliver Skipp - who has since joined Leicester City - and Dejan Ljubičić are yet to materialise into any confirmed signings and now The Daily Mail name Hannibal as a potential option for Elland Road recruitment chiefs. Those claims have also since been backed by The Mirror’s David Anderson, who reports that Leeds are ‘keen’ on the 21-year-old.

However, interest is not only coming from West Yorkshire and both reports name Burnley as rivals for Hannibal, with The Daily Mail claiming Scott Parker’s side are in ‘pole position’ to land the Tunisian international. The Clarets are also in the market for late midfield reinforcements, having agreed to sell Sander Berge to Premier League outfit Fulham earlier this week.

That sale has made Burnley £25m richer and those coffers could soon be dipped into for Hannibal, who is widely expected to leave Manchester United permanently after failing to cement a place in Erik ten Hag’s first-team plans. The midfielder was touted as a future first-team regular after arriving in a £9m deal from AS Monaco in 2019, but senior appearances have been few and far between.

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He joined Sevilla on a six-month loan in January, having been signed by their sporting director Victor Orta, but made just six appearances and a £17m permanent option was not triggered this summer. The Manchester Evening News reported earlier this week that Manchester United would prefer a sale, rather than any kind of loan deal, with the midfielder into the final year of his contract at Old Trafford.

It remains to be seen just how keen Leeds are on Hannibal, with a big gap between holding interest and submitting any kind of formal offer. Recruitment chiefs are thought to have scouted multiple options for the positions they need, with Daniel Farke insisting they will not be made to overpay despite having so little time to get business done.

Interest in Ljubičić is thought to remain after FC Koln rejected a £3.3m bid earlier this summer, and multiple reports from Germany this week suggest the Austrian is desperate to move. He missed his side’s DFB-Pokal victory over SV Sandhausen due to apparent knee problems over the weekend, having trained all week.

Leeds have nine days to conclude any transfer business, with Farke stating multiple times his desire for a minimum of four signings. As well as central midfield, cover has been needed at full-back all summer while the departures of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter - who joined West Ham and Brighton respectively - leave major gaps to fill in the attacking unit.

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