Leeds midfielder could reunite with former team-mate as Spanish club tables loan bid – report
UD Ibiza have tabled a loan bid for Leeds United midfielder Alfie McCalmont with the Whites considering letting him leave on a temporary deal, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
McCalmont, 20, has recently signed a new four-year contract with Leeds but it is understood that the Northern Ireland Under-21 international is happy to leave on loan in order to gain more first-team experience.
Ibiza have now offered McCalmont that opportunity, which could see the young midfielder reunite with Alejandro Machuca, who was sold by Leeds to the Spanish third-tier club last summer.
Machuca, 22, made just one appearance for Ibiza last season as they finished second in Segunda División B before they lost in a promotion play-off match to UE Cornella.
Ibiza also reached the last 32 of the Copa Del Rey were they famously went 1-0 ahead against Barcelona before, unfortunately, losing 2-1 thanks to two late goals by Antoine Griezmann.
The Balearic island club sounds like a good place for McCalmont to be but Leeds might prefer to see the Northern Irish midfielder continue his footballing education in England, rather than send him on loan abroad.
Leeds have sent a number of players on loan overseas while Victor Orta has been director of football and it is fair to say that hardly any of them have worked out.
Pawel Cibicki, Jay-Roy Grot, Adrian Balboa, Rafa Mujica, Laurens De Bock and Kun Temenuzhkow were all loaned out to European clubs last summer and none of them have since proven they have a future at Elland Road.
McCalmont certainly does have a future in West Yorkshire.
According to the YEP, he is in the mould of Kalvin Phillips and if Leeds have already found someone who can follow in the footsteps of the soon-to-be England international, he’s someone whose future should be planned carefully.
In other Leeds United news, one of Leeds’ transfer targets has skipped training today.