Leeds United chiefs want to sign Valencia left-back Jesus Vasquez as news emerges from Spain

Leeds United have identified 19-year-old Jesus Vasquez as a January target, and a clause in his contract suggests a loan deal is likely.

Having relieved the pressure around his job in recent weeks, Jesse Marsch is now turning his attention towards the January transfer window, and Valencia left-back Vasquez has emerged as a top target for the Whites according to Radio Marca.

The Spanish outlet report that Vasquez is "liked" by Leeds as the Yorkshire club hunt for a new young left-back.

However, Leeds will face competition from Inter Milan after Marca reported interest from the Italian side. They also revealed that Vasquez's contract at Valencia includes a clause that allows him to leave via loan in January.

Left no choice

After a rocky first half to the season, Marsch will be looking forward to the World Cup break and then the upcoming January window, where he'll need to address weak areas of his squad.

While a new striker is an obvious addition, the torrid form of Junior Firpo at Elland Road has also left Marsch no choice but to invest in a new left-back.

Leeds had high expectations of the 26-year-old when he joined from Barcelona for £12.8million [Sky Sports], but he has turned out to be a disastrous signing. He struggled to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League and consistently looked vulnerable defensively.

Marsch can't afford to show any more faith in Firpo with relegation still a looming threat this season. Pascal Struijk has done well when slotting in on the left, but the Dutch defender is still more valuable to MArsch as a central defender.

So a new left-back is towards the top of Leeds' shopping list, and Marsch clearly wants to invest in youth once again through Vasquez.

In other Leeds United news, Mateusz Klich is 'hurt' at Leeds as an Elland Road exit looks increasingly on the cards in January