Leeds United transfer round-up: Striker transfer agreed, defender approach made
Leeds United remain open to strengthening Daniel Farke’s squad at Elland Road with the final week of the transfer window underway.
Having maintained their three-point gap in the automatic promotion places following a 0-0 draw with third-placed Burnley, the Whites are refusing to panic when it comes to additions late in the window.
A bore draw at Turf Moor may have underlined the club’s lack of a creative number 10 in close games this season, but it remains to be seen if any new faces will pitch up at Thorp Arch before 3 February.
Here, MOT Leeds News rounds up the anticipated incomings and outgoings at the close of play on 25 January.
Matt Targett transfer enquiry made by Leeds United
Left-back doesn’t seem to be an area that is in need of strengthening at Elland Road, but as reported by The Athletic on 28 January, that hasn’t stopped United from enquiring about Matt Targett’s availability.
Newcastle are considering offers for Targett, 29, whom the Whites have historically been linked with going back to his time at Aston Villa, making this a potential transfer which is several years in the making.
A move for Targett could spell the end for Junior Firpo, who despite being back in the first-team fold after a hamstring injury, is out of contract at the end of the season, with United yet to open fresh talks.
Former Leeds United starlet makes Thorp Arch return
One addition through the doors at Thorp Arch this month is Leeds’ academy product Oakley Cannonier, who the Whites have taken on trial according to a report on 28 January by James Pearce of the Athletic.
Cannonier left the Peacocks’ setup for the bright lights of Liverpool’s academy back in 2015, and now 20, has returned to West Yorkshire and featured in an Under-21s match against West Ham on Monday.
Leeds United and Leyton Orient agree Sonny Perkins fee
The Whites are set to confirm one outgoing before the 3 February deadline in the form of Sonny Perkins, whom the Yorkshire Evening Post report on 28 January is set to complete a permanent move to the Os.
Perkins’ form for Orient since joining on loan last summer has led their manager Richie Wellens to pursue a permanent deal for the 20-year-old, with a “small fee” and future incentives included in the transfer.
The Peacocks are set to earn a sell-on fee if Perkins earns Orient a transfer fee in the coming years, and after a turbulent two-and-a-half-year spell at Elland Road, the East Londoner’s exit is now set in motion.
In other Leeds news, one big-hitting European side look set to complete deals for not one but two of the Whites’ key targets.
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