Man Utd and Man City 'keen' on £12m Victor Orta miss as Championship rivals 'pushing' for ex-Leeds United target

Leeds United dropped out of the automatic promotion places following last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers but could return there just as quickly on Saturday. Daniel Farke’s side host Derby County at lunchtime and will look to repeat their reaction from this season’s previous two defeats, both of which preceded dominant 2-0 wins.

Sheffield United and Burnley, the current occupiers of those top two spots, face tricky meetings with West Brom and Middlesbrough respectively, and so Leeds could sense the chance to re-assert themselves in the promotion picture. And ahead of what looks set to be a big weekend at the top of the Championship, the YEP has rounded up some of the latest stories surrounding the club.

Gyokeres developments

Manchester United and Manchester City are the latest clubs to be linked with a move for former Leeds target, Viktor Gyokeres. Sky Germany report the pair are ‘keen’ on Gyokeres and Old Trafford recruitment chiefs have already held ‘preliminary talks’ over a possible summer move.

The continued form of Gyokeres is a dagger for Leeds fans, who could have seen the prolific Swede bagging goals at Elland Road. He was linked with a move to LS11 in January 2023, having hit form at Coventry City, but then-sporting director Victor Orta refused to sanction an £11.7million purchase and instead pushed to sign Georginio Rutter.

Gyokeres joined Sporting CP the following summer and has since scored 67 goals in 70 games across all competitions, an incredible tally that has piqued the interest of Europe’s top clubs. The 26-year-old has a €100m (£83m) release clause in his contract but the report states a bid between €60-70m (£50-£58m) should do the trick.

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Rivals eye past target

Two Championship clubs are reportedly ‘pushing’ to sign former Leeds target Kai Wagner. Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg claims Burnley and Coventry City are both keen on the Philadelphia Union left-back, who was linked with a move to Elland Road during Jesse Marsch’s spell in charge.

Leeds opted against a move for the 27-year-old, who remained in Philadelphia and has continued to impress at that level, registering one goal and 10 assists in 34 MLS games this year. That form has caught the eye of several clubs, with Burnley and Coventry joined by Italian pair Atalanta and Parma in the report.

Another attraction is the defender’s price-tag, with Plettenberg reporting on a release clause of just €2m (£1.7m). Burnley will be looking to strengthen next month as Scott Parker sets his sights on Championship promotion, while new boss Frank Lampard will be keen to shape the Coventry squad to his liking.