Why off-field Leeds relationship could be beyond repair as Chelsea blindside with Mykhailo Mudryk deal
Leeds United already have a bitter rivalry with Chelsea that spans decades.
The animosity of the north-south rivalry is evident on the pitch.
Despite the history, and the fact that the Blues have never signed a senior player from the West Yorkshire outfit, the club in LS11 have done some business with them recently.
The Elland Road hierarchy also wanted Mykhailo Mudryk from Chelsea in the summer transfer window.
It looked like the Peacocks were confident they could get a deal over the line for the Ukraine international.
In the end, the 25-year-old winger joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan for the remainder of the season.
What Leeds United were willing to do to sign Mykhailo Mudryk
Mudryk's preferred destination was Leeds, but Chelsea didn't seem excited about the idea.
The Blues were looking to send the Ukrainian ace on loan for regular minutes, but that will surely be more of a challenge in North London.
According to BBC Sport on 8 September, the Whites were willing to pay a loan fee to sign Mudryk, cover his wages and pay penalties if he didn't play.
Yet the Blues went on to send the former Shakhtar Donetsk forward to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium along with Tosin Adarabioyo.
The West Yorkshire outfit were left "blindsided" with the two London teams holding club-to-club talks for the winger.
With a bitter rivalry already in place, the Mudryk saga could have potentially pushed the off-field relationship with Chelsea beyond repair.
Why failed Mykhailo Mudryk deal may be blessing in disguise at Elland Road
Mudryk was banned from playing football for 20 months before it was lifted.
The Ukraine international got a few minutes for Chelsea during pre-season, but unsurprisingly looked out of shape.
Mudryk did come on as a late substitute in Tottenham's 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest, but has been out injured since.
Considering the attacker's lack of minutes in recent months, he may need a significant period to get back up to speed.
Daniel Farke would've spent most of the season trying to get Mudryk fit again and missing out on him may not be the worst of things.