By George Overhill

3rd Feb, 2023 | 3:40pm

Leeds United held January talks with Stuttgart defender Borna Sosa, could reignite in summer

Leeds United had a “concrete interest” in Stuttgart defender Borna Sosa in January and held talks over a move, according to Bild’s Christian Falk.

The Whites were linked to the left-back during the summer window but ended up leaving the need at the position unfulfilled, with Pascal Struijk filling in ever since.

Now, despite signing Red Bull Salzburg captain Max Wober early in the winter market there was still an attempt to bring in Sosa, but the player decided against the move, although talks could be “reignited” after the season according to Falk.

Writing in his Fact Files as part of Fabrizio Romano’s Substack column for Caught Offside the Bild journalist said: “Leverkusen and Frankfurt were interested in Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa. But the transfer fee of €12m, which Stuttgart expected, was too high for the two clubs.

“I heard there was concrete interest too from Leeds. There were talks with the player but at the end he decided not to go to Leeds. Of course, talks can be reignited in the summer.”

Makes sense

Wober has had a strong impact in his short time in the Leeds United team already, but it appears he has been brought in to address the deficiencies in central defence rather than at full-back.

Junior Firpo is still getting a run out in the FA Cup but clearly isn’t seen as the long-term option if Struijk has kept him out in the Premier League.

Croatian international Sosa, 25, would be the specialist option that the squad has looked like needing for months, and at £10.7million he is certainly affordable for the Whites.

The fact that the player decided against the move is somewhat discouraging, but given United are currently just a point outside the relegation zone, and in a similar situation to where Stuttgart are in the Bundesliga, he may not have felt it was worth the risk of relegation.

If the January signings can come together as planned and lift the club away from the drop then players like Sosa might be more inclined to make the move, although the past couple of windows has proven there are plenty who are already sold on the opportunity.

Whether Firpo can come good in the mean time, or the plan is for him to move on in the summer either way, left-back looks like being a position of interest at Elland Road for a good while longer and Sosa may remain a target for a third-straight window.

In other Leeds United news, the widely-expected new contract for a first team ace is now in doubt as he is not sure whether to sign.