Oli McBurnie has insisted on Twitter that Daniel James is “not going anywhere” amid strong interest from Leeds United in signing him by Thursday night.
Asked by a Swansea City fan on Twitter if there was “any news” on exit-linked James, striker McBurnie delivered a four-word response on his personal account, accompanied by an angry emoji, that made clear his feelings.
https://twitter.com/oli_mcburnie/status/1089642650389676065
This comes after McBurnie revealed last week that he had told James to snub Leeds and remain at the Liberty Stadium, jokingly adding he was going to “lock him in a room” until the window shut.
OPINION
There has been nothing in the way of a positive update on Leeds’ pursuit of James over the weekend, even though the club are said to be negotiating behind the scenes on the terms of the deal with Swansea. James’ absence from the Swans starting XI on Saturday suggested Graham Potter did not feeling he was mentally quite right to start amid the distraction of United’s intense interest. As a youthful teammate of James who will have a good handle on what is going on, former Leeds target McBurnie is well placed to deliver a verdict on the Yorkshire giants’ chances of pulling off a deal in the next 72 hours or so. His tweet appears to suggest there is little chance of Leeds being successful in their pursuit, although he could be talking from the heart rather than the head. One thing is for sure, striker McBurnie is eager for James to stay and that could be persuasive in terms of the winger’s decision on whether to go by Thursday night.