Leeds United's possible free agent signing identity revealed as national newspaper names £12m man

According to The Sun, Leeds have taken a closer look at the 34-year-old but are yet to make a final decision on whether a free agent will be signed or not.

Daniel Farke said in his press conference on Wednesday that Leeds would consider all available options, which are admittedly limited in number, taking fitness, financial and personal factors into consideration.

"I never confirm any names and won't speak about players who aren't under contract," he said. "It would not be professional. I just speak about our players. I can speak in general about the situation. It's a pretty special and unique situation, we had a small group anyway before the injuries to Ethan and Ilia. We've decided to have a deeper look into the free agent market. We had some guests in the last days here at Thorp Arch to have a deeper look on it."

The manager also stated Leeds would either sign or opt against a free agent by the end of this month, but would not be drawn on names. United remain keen to fill the void left by injured duo Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev who are expected to miss several months with separate knee issues.

Coquelin’s is a name that has been considered by the Elland Road recruitment hierarchy, along with former Crystal Palace and West Ham United midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, who was at Thorp Arch over the international break, although progress on a deal for the former Senegal international appears to have slowed.

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Coquelin turned 33 in May and has been without a club since the end of last season upon the expiry of his Villarreal deal in Spain's top flight. He appeared 160 times for Arsenal between 2008 and 2018, which included loan spells with Charlton Athletic, SC Freiburg and Lorient.

The Frenchman joined Valencia for a reported £12 million in 2018 before moving on to Villarreal two years later.