Leeds United are not looking at snapping up Manchester City defender Jason Denayer but are keen on sealing a swoop for Brentford midfielder Ryan Woods this summer, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reporter, one of the most reputed writers covering events at Elland Road, claims on his personal Twitter account that there is nothing doing when it comes to Leeds and the Belgian powerhouse, but that the Whites are indeed one of many clubs chasing the 24-year-old defensive enforcer from the Bees.
having checked with both sides, doesn’t sound like anything in Denayer. Leeds do like Woods but so does everyone in the Championship.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) August 1, 2018
Marcelo Bielsa has already welcomed five new faces through the door this summer, most recently attackers Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison.
Opinion
So that appears to be another two names that fans at Elland Road can scrub off their list of players to welcome before the end of the window. Denayer would have actually been quite a good signing for the Whites, bolstering a defence featuring Pontus Jansson and Lee Cooper in their starting XI, but the possible wages he would demand may well have made it an unrealistic capture. As for Woods, if there are other sides chasing his signing then Leeds may as well start looking elsewhere, for they are not going to win a transfer battle against their more illustrious – and richer – rivals in the Championship. Bielsa has already done very well in bringing in proven second tier talent like Jamal Blackman, Barry Douglas and Bamford, so a swoop for Woods would have been a welcome addition, but with a week left to play in the summer window, they should start sourcing other quality signings to avoid disappointment.