Leeds United are in hot pursuit of Millwall goalscoring midfielder George Saville ahead of deadline day next week, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim the Championship giants are battling with Aston Villa to secure the capture of the Chelsea academy product, 25, before the transfer cut-off on Thursday.
The Mail report Millwall are expecting bids for the 25-year-old central midfielder, who they are expected to make a substantial profit on after signing from Wolves for £350,000 last year.
Good move for Leeds?
Goalscoring midfielders, especially ones in play in the centre of the pitch in relatively deep roles, are thin on the ground at all levels, not least in the demanding English second tier. Saville is the real deal who thrived after making the move down south last summer, scoring once in every four league matches to pilfer 10 goals from 44 matches in his debut campaign. That is the kind of goal return none of Leeds midfielders can match, and would mean he would be an upgrade on the likes of Eunan O’Kane, Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich. With Ronaldo Vieira sold this week, Leeds are in the market for a new player in that position and Saville could be an excellent partner for Adam Forshaw when he returns to fitness.
This Is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
Much depends on how much Leeds are willing to spend. It helps that Villa’s big spending days are over as they concentrate more on loans than permanent signings. United have money in the bank after Vieira’s sale but might need to stretch above £2million to land Saville.
This Is Futbol rating 6/10