It has been revealed by Luke Ayling that he came close to linking up with Celtic before a move fell through and paved the way for him to link up with Leeds United in 2016.  

Leeds signed Ayling from Bristol City at the start of the 2016/17 campaign, with the right-back going on to establish himself as part of the furniture at Elland Road.

However, it could have all been very different for Ayling, as The Athletic report how he has admitted he was on his way to Celtic in 2016 before a deal collapsed due to the Scottish giants overspending on Scott Sinclair.

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After that deal was scuppered, Leeds swooped and an agreement to bring the right-back to Elland Road was in place before the August deadline.

And, Ayling hasn’t looked back and has been a major part of the Leeds squad that’s built towards putting themselves on the cusp of promotion.

The 28-year-old has overcome two major injuries to make 145 appearances for Leeds, as well as earning himself the vice-captain role under Marcelo Bielsa.

Currently, Ayling and Leeds sit top of the Championship table, nine games away from a Premier League return.

Leeds resume the Championship season on Sunday after a three-month break as they travel to Cardiff City.

The Verdict  

Ayling has been such a big part of Leeds’ squad over the past four seasons and it is really hard to imagine how things would’ve played out if he wasn’t around.

A move to Celtic would have been good for the right-back, but there won’t be much regret about that not happening, given how he’s developed at Leeds and what he’s on the cusp of doing.

Premier League football would outweigh what he could’ve achieved in Scotland and, with hindsight, Ayling will probably state things have worked out pretty well for him.

Thoughts? Let us know!

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