Leeds United transfer news: Luke Ayling set for Middlesbrough medical ahead of January exit – Phil Hay
Luke Ayling is due to have a medical at Middlesbrough on Wednesday morning (10 January) ahead of a departure from Leeds United after seven and a half years, according to The Athletic.
Phil Hay and David Ornstein reported via the outlet’s website on the same morning that the veteran right-back is set for a loan to the Championship side for the rest of the season.
But with his contract up in the summer it is effectively going to be a permanent exit from the Whites for the 32-year-old.
According to The Athletic the decision was made before Christmas not to offer Ayling a contract extension at Elland Road.
End of an era
Ayling has fallen down the pecking order under Daniel Farke this season, with the German having regularly preferred converted midfielders Archie Gray and Jamie Shackleton on the right of defence.
The last of his 268 Whites appearances is therefore set to be his late run out in the FA Cup win over Peterborough United at the weekend, after which he appeared to be saying an emotional goodbye to fans and teammates on the pitch.
It looks set to be a low key end to Ayling’s Leeds United career after what has at times been the exact opposite, and represents another part of the Marcelo Bielsa side moving on.
Ayling’s commitment to the club has been impossible to question despite the chaos of the past couple of seasons in the Premier League, and he will likely be a big loss in the dressing room.
He will also be the second right-back to be allowed to leave by Farke in this window after the shock termination of Djed Spence’s loan and return to Tottenham.
The full-back positions look to be the most obvious area of need in the January transfer window, but the manager claims he feels well-covered and Hay has reported that it currently looks very quiet on that front.
In other Leeds United news, another potentially Whites exit is being eyed by a Premier League giant.