Leeds United fear that Mateusz Klich may hold out for a move to a Premier League club at the end of the season, according to Football Insider.
The 29-year-old is out of contract in the summer, and despite opening talks with the club over a new deal, it is understood that there is a concern he may instead choose to run down negotiations in an effort to force through an exit.
According to Football Insider, Burnley were interested in signing the Polish international over the summer, and it is believed that Leeds are aware of interest in the player from the Premier League.
How important is Klich to Leeds?
Prior to Marcelo Bielsa’s appointment as manager, you could probably have argued that Klich wasn’t overly important to United.
Loaned out to FC Utrecht for the second half of the 2017/18 season, the Pole seemed as if he was out in the cold at Elland Road.
But ever since Bielsa took the helm, he has managed to transform himself into a very significant component of the Argentine’s squad.
Last season, he was involved in 19 goals in the Championship – 10 goals and nine assists – taking 1.8 shots and making 1.4 key passes per match in the process, as per Whoscored.
As a point of reference, the year before that, prior to his loan spell in The Netherlands, Klich made four appearances in the Championship, averaging just 0.5 shots and 0.3 key passes per match.
An ever present in the heart of midfield this season, Klich provides a more attacking foil to usual partner Adam Forshaw, who registered 0.8 shots and 0.9 key passes per match in the league last term, as per Whoscored.
Is he likely to leave?
At this stage, it is difficult to say.
On the one hand, if he has opened talks over a new deal, then there must be a chance that he will decide to stay at Elland Road.
On the other, this latest report would suggest that he has his heart set on Premier League football.
Consequently, it doesn’t feel like too much of a stretch to argue that his future with United surely rests on whether or not they get promoted this season.
If United go up anyway, then Klich would presumably have no real reason to exit the club, but if they face the prospect of another season in the second tier, that could well make his mind up for him.