'Medical today' as striker seals Championship switch after 'unlikely' Leeds United links and £22m deal

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Leeds United’s focus is elsewhere with less than 48 hours of the January transfer window remaining.

Any chance of late speculation surrounding Kelechi Iheanacho looks set to be put to bed with reports he is closing in on a move to Middlesbrough.

Leeds United were fleetingly linked with interest in Iheanacho earlier this month following reports he would leave Sevilla in search of more regular football. A move to Elland Road was always seen as highly unlikely, however, given the striker’s lack of recent minutes and likely high wage package - two of the three boxes Whites manager Daniel Farke needs ticking off before signing off on a move.

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But having helped Leicester City to the Championship title last season, Iheanacho looks set for a return to another of Leeds’ promotion rivals as a move to the Riverside Stadium edges closer. Sky Sports claim Middlesbrough have agreed a deal to take the 28-year-old on loan for the rest of this season.

Boro close in on Iheanacho

Iheanacho has already travelled to the UK and is set to undergo medical tests ahead of that loan switch, with Middlesbrough beating off competition from Scottish giants Celtic. The Championship club are also said to have agreed to pay ‘a large portion’ of the forward’s wages in order to win the race.

Boro have been in the market for a new striker this month and look set for a significant cash injection as Emmanuel Latte Lath’s move to Atalanta progresses. The Ivorian has already completed his medical across the Atlantic and a deal worth around £22million in total is set to be confirmed imminently.

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Latte Lath was another striker who emerged in reports surrounding Leeds, with suggestions of ‘serious’ Elland Road interest earlier this month. But as with links to Iheanacho, they quickly disappeared and the YEP understands he was never being considered as a concrete option this month.

Leeds focus on Archer

Leeds do have their eye on attacking reinforcements, however, and earlier this week approached Southampton in a bid to take Cameron Archer on loan. St Mary’s chiefs quickly knocked back that interest but there is still hope in West Yorkshire an agreement can be reached.

The Whites have often benefitted from their patience under 49ers Enterprises, with doors opening for previously unattainable targets towards the end of transfer windows. It is how they managed to land Manor Solomon on loan from Tottenham Hotspur over the summer.

Southampton currently have no intention of losing Archer, but that could change if the Premier League strugglers manage to land a target or two of their own before Monday’s 11pm deadline. Leeds hope a domino effect can open the door for a late move, although they will likely have to insert some kind of permanent option into any deal.

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"Sadly we have an ongoing problem with Patrick [Bamford], so for this we'll stay awake [in the window]," Farke told the YEP on transfers ahead of Saturday’s 7-0 thumping of Cardiff City. "And the ongoing problems at centre-back because Max Wober had a difficult season with availability and the injury for Pascal [Struijk]. This has eased up a bit. If there's a player who is a perfect fit we'll do something.”

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