OPINION
With the deal for Daniel James going all the way to the wire, Leeds and Swansea appear to have reached deadlock over the deal for Daniel James, with the Welsh side “refusing to budge” on the fee, according to Mirror journalist David Anderson.
It’s the update that many Leeds fans will have been dreading to hear.
It had been reported on Wednesday that Leeds had made a final offer of £5million plus add-ons for the Swanseas winger. That put the ball firmly in the Swansea court but David Anderson from the Mirror said that this valuation was below what Swansea want for their player.
He claimed that they were “refusing to budge” on their valuation with just hours left to go now before the transfer deadline window shuts.
He finished off his tweet by asking “Who will blink first?”
Leeds’ attempts to prise Daniel James away from Swansea now a battle of wills. Leeds adamant they will not increase offer of £5m up front plus add-ons. Swansea adamant this is below their valuation. James keen to join Leeds, but Swansea refusing to budge. Who will blink first?
— David Anderson (@MirrorAnderson) January 30, 2019
Obviously, this is problematic.
The negotiations between Leeds and Swansea remind us more and more of Brexit with every new twist of the story, but the time for brinksmanship is close coming to an end.
Who will blink first? Well, for starters, we don’t expect Leeds to blink. They’ve made a fair offer for an unproven player and they’re happy now to let it play out however it falls.
The real question comes down to whether Swansea need to sell. It looks like they’re going to shift Wilfried Bony on loan and that might mean that they don’t have to lose James, a player they would rather keep.
However, that might not be the case. Bony’s move could fall through or they might have to sell James as well, and they could just be hanging on for the best price. If that’s the case then they could string Leeds out until the afternoon, which will make for a very nervy deadline day for fans. This one could really go either way now.