By Craig Scott

10th Jan, 2020 | 2:40pm

Phil Hay: Leeds on verge of finalising first of three potential January transfers

Young Chievo goalkeeper Elia Caprile is set to wrap up his transfer to Leeds United over the weekend, according to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay.

The former Yorkshire Evening Post reporter claimed via his personal Twitter account on Friday that Caprile, 18, is set to become the first of three players to join the Whites this month if the Championship leaders are able to land their targets.

Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb has recently reported that Caprile has agreed to sign a four-and-a-half-year contract that would see him stay at Elland Road until the end of the 2023/24 season.

And now it seems as though the teenager will jet into England over the course of the next few days to finalise his transfer.

Victor Orta has shown a great willingness to sign players from across Europe in his time as director of football at Elland Road.

Before his arrival, it was hard to find a single player in the Under-23s or Under-18s who had been born outside Yorkshire, let alone the United Kingdom.

However Caprile now looks as though he is going to challenge Polish youngster Kamil Miazek for the number one spot in Carlos Corberan’s Under-23s for the remainder of the season.

Miazek will turn 24 in the summer so there is a chance that Caprile’s arrival could lead to some kind of development in regards to the Polish shot-stopper’s future.

Miazek has not made a senior appearance since joining Leeds in 2017, so there could be a plan in place to loan him out and allow Caprile to play regularly for the Under-23s next season.

In other Leeds United news, the Whites have eyed up an international striker who they see as a more viable option than Billy Sharp.