Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay doesn’t think Swansea winger Daniel James will sign a new contract with the Welsh club.
This comes on the back of a conversation he had with James’ agent. Hay said he also thinks that Leeds will sign James if they get promoted.
Leeds are still hoping to bring James to Elland Road after a deadline day deal fell through dramatically.
That was confirmed by chief executive Angus Kinnear in a recent interview with the BBC (West Yorkshire Sport Daily, Wednesday Feb 13, 6pm).
The BBC reported yesterday that Swansea were trying to get James to sign a new deal, with his current contract expiring in 2020.
However, Hay believes there has been little progress with that and said he would be surprised if it happened after a conversation he had with his agent.
Talking on the latest episode of the Inside Elland Road podcast Hay said, “Angus Kinnear said they are taking a key interest in him still.
“He is discussing a new contract with Swansea but there doesn’t seem to be much progress in that. And, after a conversation I had with his agent, I’d be a bit surprised if it happened.”
Hay went on to say that he thought Leeds would sign James if they got promoted but warned they might have to pay a “Premier League price”.
That price would surely increase if James were to sign a new contract.
OPINION
James was keen on a move to Leeds and had done everything on his side, including completing a medical and filming his introduction video. It must have been a bitter blow to have to go back to a club where he’d said his goodbyes, but James has been playing well for Swansea again, scoring in the 4-1 FA Cup win at the weekend. However, it does sound like it’s unlikely that he’ll sign a new deal. And, even if he does, it wouldn’t preclude him from moving from moving to Leeds in the summer, it would just give Swansea a stronger hand in negotiations. We think that if Leeds get promoted, that they’ll sign him. Marcelo Bielsa was convinced he was the right man and it was a signing as much for the future as it was for this season’s Championship run-in. If they don’t get promoted then it’s less likely Leeds would have the money for the deal. It appears that’s why the January deal was set up as an initial loan with an option to buy if they made it to the Premier League.