Leeds United are keeping a close eye on a “beautiful” £20,000-a-week player ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a recent report.
Leeds transfer news
Daniel Farke’s side have been one of, if not the strongest teams in the Championship this season, and if they continue their current form, they should once again be a Premier League team come the end of the campaign.
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The Whites already have one transfer in mind that they would like to complete in the summer, but it may come at a cost.
There looks to be an expectation that they will be in the English top flight next season, as the players they are hoping to sign in the summer are not players looking to drop into the second tier.
The Whites are interested in signing Manchester City midfielder James McAtee and have held internal talks over a possible move in the summer, as he continues to struggle to nail down a starting spot in Pep Guardiola’s team.
As well as looking to find a number 10, Farke and the Leeds board are also looking at improving their defence for the next season. It’s been reported that they are interested in signing Koni de Winter from Genoa but face strong competition from West Ham, Wolves and Serie A giants Juventus.
De Winter is not their only option for a new centre-back, as Conor Coady of Leicester City is also a player Leeds may consider signing, as he struggles for game time at the King Power Stadium and will enter the final 12 months of his contract in the summer.
Leeds keeping an eye on Walker-Peters
Farke doesn’t just want to add a new centre-back to his ranks – he also wants to improve his full-back options, and according to TEAMtalk, Leeds are keeping an eye on Kyle Walker-Peters, who is out of contract at Southampton in the summer.
The Whites were interested in signing the full-back during the January transfer window, but the Saints wanted £7 million to part ways, and that was deemed too high for someone set to become available for free so soon.
Indeed, Walker-Peters looks unlikely to sign a new contract at St. Mary’s Stadium and, therefore, will be a free agent come July – that has alerted Leeds, as well as teams such as Leicester City and Everton.
Walker-Peters, who earns £20,000 a week at Southampton, has been with the Saints since January 2020, having joined them initially on loan from Tottenham before joining on a permanent basis. The 27-year-old has been an ever-present for the Saints since and has established himself as a very attacking, modern-day full-back.
The Southampton defender has shown great versatility in recent seasons, operating on both the right and left-hand sides of defence, as well as playing as a wing-back if it is required. Former Southampton manager Russell Martin described Walker-Peters as a “beautiful” footballer, and given the pace he offers and his ability to take players on, it doesn’t come as a surprise.
All these factors are why Farke would love to make him part of his Leeds team, as he would bring real quality and Premier League experience to their backline; Leeds just need to get promoted to the top flight now to make the deal happen.
