OPINION
Leeds United must attempt to hijack Aston Villa’s reported move to sign Sheffield Wednesday flyer Sean Clare in the summer transfer window with him available in a matter of weeks when his contract ends.
TeamTalk has reported that Clare, 21, has snubbed a new deal at Hillsborough and Villa are set to snap up the versatile player ahead of Preston, Norwich and Premier League club Bournemouth.
Clare can play in a plethora of positions, but has mainly featured at right-back or on the right-wing while playing for Sheffield Wednesday or Gillingham this season after spending the first half of the campaign on loan in League One.
The 6ft 2in Hillsborough contract rebel can also play in the centre of the park and that kind of versatility is something that Leeds should look to get through the door in the summer, especially as it would get one over on their Yorkshire rivals with making a minimal impact on their transfer budget.
Director of football Victor Orta has had limited luck in trying to strengthen the Whites squad by signing up players from abroad so he may want to take a look a little closer to home in order to bolster the ranks for next season.
Clare has bags of potential, can play in multiple positions and according to TeamTalk, he will be available for a minimum compensation fee that is nowhere near to his true market value.
Villa look as though they could be set to win the race to sign the right-sided flyer, but that does not mean that it’s not too late for Leeds to blow the West Midlands club out of the water to get in the Sheffield Wednesday sensation.