'Medical booked, £5m bid submitted' - Leeds United's Championship promotion rivals make transfer progress

Two of Leeds United’s main Championship promotion rivals are making continued efforts to strengthen this month as they look to chase Daniel Farke’s side down.

Sheffield United and Burnley have already welcomed first-team players through their respective doors, with both expecting a busy fortnight before the February 3 deadline. Ben Brereton Diaz’s season-long return to Bramall Lane was confirmed around Monday lunchtime, with Scott Parker’s Clarets later confirming a surprise move for Jonjo Shelvey.

The two recently-relegated sides are playing catch up with Leeds - who sit a point clear of Sheffield United and three clear of Burnley - and so further reinforcements are expected. And reports on Tuesday suggest both are moving quickly to improve their current squads.

Cannon medical

Sheffield United look set to further strengthen in attack with a permanent move for Tom Cannon edging closer. The Star reports that the striker was booked in for medical tests in South Yorkshire on Tuesday after Leicester City accepted an offer worth around £10million.

Cannon scored nine goals in 22 league games for Stoke City during the first-half of the season, with Leicester cutting his season-long loan short earlier this month amid reports of interest elsewhere. Sheffield United, Sunderland and Burnley were all heavily linked with the 22-year-old but it seems the former has come out on top.

Bramall Lane chiefs are believed to have won the race due to their willingness to pay the £10m upfront, with Sunderland preferring a loan deal with an option-to-buy that would have become active if they were promoted. Cannon is expected to make his Blades debut against Hull City on Friday, with full-back Jonjoe Kenny also closing in on a move to South Yorkshire.

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Whittaker bid

Burnley have returned with an improved offer for Plymouth Argyle’s Morgan Whittaker, according to reports. BBC Sport claim a total package worth around £5m plus add-ons ‘falls well below’ the Pilgrim’s valuation, with the expectation being it will be rejected.

The Clarets were heavily interested in Whittaker all summer and saw two offers for the 24-year-old rejected. Their opening bid earlier this month was also knocked back and with money tight at Turf Moor, the report suggests Parker’s side won’t be able to offer as much cash compared to the summer.

But any available funds will almost certainly be put into attacking reinforcements, with Burnley’s major issue being in scoring goals. They have conceded just nine times in 27 games but the only top-half team to score fewer than their 31 are Queens Park Rangers.

Leeds transfer latest

While there is an element of frustration surrounding Leeds’ perceived inactivity, few would argue against Farke having the best squad at his disposal and therefore the hardest one to improve. A No.10 was the one that got away over summer but finding a significantly better option than Brenden Aaronson in January is no easy task, particularly given the difficulties of convincing such players to drop into the Championship.

That was a key issue when Leeds went for Emi Buendia and even with the Argentinian now looking set to leave Aston Villa on loan this month, it remains an obvious sticking point. Interest in Farke’s former Norwich City talisman remains but the expectation is he will move to another top-flight team, possibly in Spain.

Farke has regularly insisted Leeds will ‘stay awake’ and injury to Pascal Struijk could force them into the market for defensive reinforcements. But much of the remaining fortnight will be quiet in West Yorkshire.