Azeem Siddiqui

Tue 10 May 2022 14:10, UK

Leeds United are interested in signing Chelsea’s centre-back Jake Clarke-Salter on a free transfer, according to the Sun.

The Whites are involved in an intense relegation battle as they are placed in the 18^th spot of the league table with 34 points after 35 matches, equal with 17^th-placed Burnley.

One of the primary reasons why Leeds are placed in the bottom half is because of their defensive problems as they’ve already conceded 74 goals, second-most in the league, behind only Everton.

To address that issue, as per the Sun, Leeds could sign the defender on a free transfer with Chelsea unable to trigger his contract extension due to their ownership issues at this moment.

However, they are facing competition from a number of clubs in Europe including Sheffield United and PSV Eindhoven.

Sensible business

Leeds’ transfer policy ever since their return to the Premier League is being questioned and many pundits believe it is one of the primary reasons that they are in a spot of bother in the ongoing campaign.

Last time, it took the Whites 16 years to return to the top-flight football and therefore, their transfer activity will be pivotal this time around if they will be relegated.

Making a move for someone who has already played in the Championship with Coventry City where Clarke-Salter spent the season on loan makes a lot of sense for Leeds who are clearly lacking in the centre-back department.

The Carshalton-born’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2022 and despite Blues having an option to extend his contract for another 12 months, it is looking highly unlikely that they will use that option because of ownership issues.

In the Championship, the 24-year-old represented Coventry City in 29 matches, playing a total of 2, 294 minutes.

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has shared what Luke Ayling did in the dressing room after the defeat at Arsenal