Leeds United are plotting to sign Aston Villa pair Ross McCormack and Tommy Elphick in a £7million double deal, according to the Sun.
The print edition of the newspaper claimed on Tuesday, in a screenshot uploaded on his personal Twitter account by United fan Mark Rikko, that the Yorkshire giants want the out-of-favour pair to help get their play-off bid back on track.
#lufc read this. ???????? pic.twitter.com/Hjj2ga7y7z
— Diddlysquat (@markrikko) January 23, 2018
McCormack’s loan spell at Melbourne City is due to finish this Friday, January 26 and Villa and the Australian club have, so far, been unable to agree on extending his loan arrangement until the end of the season.
The Sun report that McCormack, who had a hugely successful spell at Leeds in which he scored 58 goals from 157 matches before joining Fulham for £13million in 2014, is valued at £4.5million.
It is said that Elphick, who is also wanted by Millwall, is rated in the £2.5million bracket.
Good move for Leeds?
Yes. The Scot was out of form and out of shape last season when he miserably failed to live up to his reputation at Villa (he wasn’t alone in that), but he has a Championship record to die for, knows how to find the back of the net and is still only 31 and with something to prove. McCormack is remembered at Leeds as one of their best players of the last decade, a clever deep-lying forward who can design the play and finish clinically. He has showed with his 14 goals in 16 matches at Melbourne that his ability to find space and finish off chances remains intact.
This Is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
It’s possible, but would still rank as a major surprise. The Scot is way down the pecking order at Villa Park after falling out massively with Steve Bruce and the club are likely to subsidise his sky-high wages in a second loan spell of the season. That gives Leeds more than a decent chance, although there might need to be some smart negotiating.
This Is Futbol rating: 3/10