Leeds United are yet to agree a deal with Huddersfield Town for midfielder Lewis O’Brien this summer and they are facing having to wait until near the end of the window to make a breakthrough, according to The Athletic.
According to various reports, Leeds have made O’Brien their top target this summer now as they aim to secure the signing of an extra midfield player.
That comes after they had initially placed Conor Gallagher as their first choice target but they have since seen him leave Chelsea and sign for Crystal Palace.
It has been reported that Leeds have had an opening offer for O’Brien rejected by the Terriers, with Football Insider suggesting that the offer was worth between just £2 million and £3 million. That offer was considered to be well short of Huddersfield’s valuation of the 22-year-old.
Football Insider have since reported that Leeds are expected to come in with an improved offer to try and tempt Huddersfield into selling the midfielder before the window closes.
According to the latest update from The Athletic, Leeds are far from being able to complete a move for O’Brien at this stage and it is a transfer sage that is expected to potentially drag on until the latter stages of the window.
The verdict
This is a bit of a blow for Leeds but it does not completely rule out the possibility of them agreeing a deal for O’Brien before the transfer window comes to a close. It seems as though they are trying to remain patient and hope that Huddersfield maybe soften in their stance slightly in the latter stages of the window and that might mean they accept a lower offer than their current valuation.
That is a major risk for Leeds because they will not be wanting to leave themselves short of time to pursue a move for another midfield target should their move for O’Brien not pay off.
Huddersfield meanwhile will not be wanting the situation to drag on too much longer as well because they will need to potentially bring in a replacement for him if he is to leave the club. Therefore it is vital that any money they get for him from Leeds leaves them enough time to go into the market themselves and spend the money.