Here are your Leeds United transfer rumours on Wednesday, February 2.
RB Leipzig join Aaronson race
Leeds’ only real notable target throughout January was Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson.
After seeing both of their approaches knocked back, the Whites are likely to return to the situation in the summer but they probably won’t be the only club.
The Austrian champions’ sister club, RB Leipzig, have emerged as the latest team to hold an interest in the 21-year-old, according to German football expert Manuel Veth, who reiterated the news that AC Milan are also monitoring the situation.
The Bundesliga side are likely to have the advantage due to their relationship with Salzburg. It is a connection they have used on a number of occasions with Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano and Amadou Haidara among those to have made the move in recent years.
Two potential January replacements for Summerville revealed
After Cody Drameh’s loan move to Cardiff was confirmed earlier in the window, Crysencio Summerville almost secured a similar move to Hamburg in the last couple of days of January.
It was a move that always looked very unlikely unless Leeds were able to bring in a replacement with Marcelo Bielsa’s squad already significantly depleted.
Summerville’s potential move ultimately didn’t materialise but Victor Orta and the rest of the recruitment team had a contingency plan in place.
As per The Athletic’s report, Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino and Chelsea’s Kenedy were viewed as the two potential options who could have replaced the young winger.
That suggests that Leeds were only interested in signing a player on loan to account for the potential departure which may explain why the two fellow Premier League sides were unwilling to strike a deal.
West Ham turn attention to contract renewal after failed Leeds attempts
West Ham made two of the shock approaches of the transfer window as they reportedly launched £50m bids for Leeds pair Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips.
Unsurprisingly, they were both emphatically rejected and like the Whites, the Hammers ended the month without adding any new players to their squad.
Despite looking to add Phillips to their midfield ranks, David Moyes’ side have been very happy with the impact of Tomas Soucek since he arrived at the club and they are now looking to reward him with a contract extension.
The Athletic have claimed that it will be a four-year deal if an agreement is reached but it is unlikely to defer their potential pursuit of Phillips if they are genuinely interested in him.
