Manchester City have rejected a bid from Torino for reported Leeds United target Ian Poveda, Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb have claimed.

It was reported earlier this month that Leeds are interested in a deal for the 19-year-old winger, although it seems the Championship promotion chasers are not alone with their interest in Poveda.

Italian duo Torino and Parma have also been credited with an interest in the Manchester City man, as have Scottish champions Celtic, and it seems those sides are now starting to make their moves.

According to the latest reports, Torino have now made their first offer to the Premier League champions for Poveda, but that City have rejected that deal, with Poveda's current club said to want a deal that gives them some control over the player's future.

Poveda is out of contract with City at the end of the season, but it seems Torino are not giving up on their chances of signing him this month, with the report going onto claim that they could return with a new bid within hours, meaning Leeds may have to move quickly to remain in the race for his signature.

It is thought that Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has previously telephoned Poveda personally in a bid to convince him to make a move to Elland Road.

The winger has so far made just a single senior appearance for Manchester City, which came in a 1-0 win over Burton Albion in the second leg of last season's Carabao Cup semi-final.

The Verdict

While the fact that Torino have not been given the go-ahead to open talks with Poveda will be a relief, this really ought to serve as something of a wake-up call for Leeds.

Not only does it show that there are other teams with a firm interest in Poveda they will have to beat for his signature, but it also highlights that a deal with Manchester City may not be the easiest to agree on, and with time running out in the transfer window, they are not going to want to leave this too late.

With concerns already arising about their recent dip in form on the pitch, they are not going to now want to miss out on any well-publicised transfer targets here, which is something that would likely only serve to worsen the mood around Elland Road even further.