Leeds United blow as David Ornstein delivers update on 'target' | Cardiff City manager addresses interest

Leeds United target Emi Buendia has agreed to a contract extension at Aston Villa, according to David Ornstein.

Ornstein, who developed a reputation for being a reliable journalist for the BBC, now works for The Athletic, and he broke the news on Sunday at lunch time that Buendia will be extending his stay at Villa Park. His new deal will now run until 2027, adding another year on to his contract.

The Argentine midfielder missed the whole of the 2023/24 season because of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and so this season he has had to be reintroduced back in to the first-team fold. He's made 18 appearances for their first team, including 11 in the Premier League but only three have been starts.

Unai Emery admitted earlier in the week that the 28-year-old could potentially leave, but right now he is needed. In a post on X, David Ornstein broke the news that an agreement had been reached between Villa and Buendia. The football correspondent added that he has interest from Germany, Italy and Saudi Arabia but Villa aren't planning to sanction a permanent exit at present.

Leeds United’s chances of signing Emi Buendia fade

It was reported on Sunday by EFL journalist Alan Nixon that Buendia wasn’t keen on a return to the Championship. In the last week, he’s been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, which could be a more attractive proposition for the player to remain in Europe’s top-flight leagues.

Leeds United though haven’t shied away from their interest with Buendia with CEO Angus Kinnear revealing in September that they looked to sign the one-cap Argentina international following the sale of Georginio Rutter. Villa weren’t entertaining a sale then and now with another year added to his contract, it looks like his future will be in the West Midlands for the foreseeable.

Cardiff City boss addresses Ollie Tanner links

Championship rivals Cardiff City will not be selling Ollie Tanner to Leeds, Burnley or any club for that matter. Football Insider claimed that Leeds along with their promotion rivals and both Leicester City and Southampton from the Premier League were interested in the winger.

The 22-year-old was missing from their 2-1 win against Derby County, but that’s because he suffered an injury against Swansea City last weekend, missing the last two matches. Cardiff are in a relegation battle and can’t afford to lose one of their key players, even if a club could offer them a handsome fee for his services.

Asked about the rumours, Bluebirds boss Omer Riza said: “No. Ollie’s a young lad, he’s one of ours and he’s doing really well. We need him, like we need all the other players in our team, and he’s doing well.

“He’s focused on doing his job at Cardiff and that’s it, really.”

Leeds supporters could witness first hand what kind of player Tanner is when the two sides meet at Elland Road next Saturday (February 1). The winger played in the reverse fixture back in September in which Daniel Farke’s side won 2-0.