£11m Leeds United deal 'only possible' on one condition as favourite named in Middlesbrough & Sunderland race
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Leeds United will look to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing 1-1 draw at Preston North End when they host Oxford United on Saturday. Daniel Farke’s side have struggled away from home all season but the picture in LS11 couldn’t be more different, with eight straight wins keeping them inside the automatic promotion places.
Those away woes will need to improve if Leeds want to remain in the top two but the immediate focus is on Saturday and the visit of an Oxford side who will hope to have a new manager in the away dugout at Elland Road. And as preparations continue for the final Championship game before Christmas, the YEP has rounded up some of the latest stories surrounding the club.
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Leeds have been credited with interest in Atalanta defender Ben Godfrey - although a move would only be possible in the summer if promotion is achieved. TBR Football claim Elland Road recruitment chiefs ‘like’ the 26-year-old, who is being linked with a move away from Bergamo just months after arriving.
Godfrey left Everton for Atalanta in an £11million deal over the summer but is yet to start a single game in any competition, with four appearances totalling just 70 minutes. The versatile defender is now being linked with a return to the UK, with this recent report naming Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Brighton, Brentford and Crystal Palace as potential Premier League suitors.
They add that a January exit is currently unlikely, which could provide a boost to Leeds’ chances come summer, if they decide to pursue Godfrey. But the York-born defender was valued at £11m in June and that price isn’t likely to have fallen, making a move to Elland Road almost unfeasible if it is to host Championship football for another season.
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Leeds have suffered a blow in their reported pursuit of Louie Barry, with a promotion rival named as the frontrunner for his signature. Football Insider claim Middlesbrough are at the front of a growing Championship queue for Barry, whose loan spell at Stockport County could be cut short in a bid to secure him a second-tier loan move next month.
A tally of 15 goals in 21 appearances has seen Barry emerge as one of the country’s most exciting young prospects and parent club Aston Villa could promote the 21-year-old from League One to Championship in January. A host of top-end second-tier clubs have since been linked, with Leeds named alongside the likes of Boro, Sheffield United and Sunderland.
But this most recent report claims Villa will seek assurances over game-time, something Leeds have refused to do in previous loan discussions. Farke is already well-stocked in Barry’s two most natural positions - out wide and upfront - with any mid-season activity more likely to focus on a creative No.10.