Middlesbrough now clear favourites to beat Leeds United to Lewis O’Brien loan signing
Middlesbrough are set to beat Leeds United to the loan signing of Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien, according to Alan Nixon.
The Sun journalist reported on his Patreon on 30 August that the Whites’ Championship rivals have emerged as the clear favourites to sign the 24-year-old.
He said Coventry City and Ipswich Town have also been in the race to sign the midfielder, but that Boro’s commitment and the loan fee offered have made them the frontrunners.
Disappointing
This will be a disappointing development for Leeds as they have been keen to strike a deal with Nottingham Forest for O’Brien over the past few days.
The Whites have been desperately trying to add to their ranks in midfield after seeing a number of key players leave the club in that position this summer.
They have so far not had too much luck, though, as a number of deals for targets have proven tricky to agree on a fee with other clubs or players have eventually backed out of talks at a late stage.
It will also be frustrating to see O’Brien looking set to go to another Championship rival as he has decent experience at this level following his time with Huddersfield Town before making the move to Forest last summer.
The midfielder only made 17 appearances at the Nottingham club before he went out on loan to MLS side D.C. United in March, where he played 19 games before returning in July.
It’s now time for the Whites to continue working on the other deals they have going on in the background as the transfer deadline is rapidly approaching.
In other Leeds United news, Joel Piroe made a Whites admission following his debut against Ipswich.