Leeds United are reportedly close to securing a transfer deal for Stoke City defender Harry Souttar, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
The 24-year-old has made 70 senior appearances for his current club, chipping in with two goals and three assists.
During his time with Stoke, the defender has completed three loan spells at clubs such as Ross County and Fleetwood Town.
Despite having over two years left on his contract at the Championship club, the centre-back could be on his way to the Premier League in the coming days.
Speaking on a recent edition of Sky Sports’ European Transfer Show (via CaughtOffside), Di Marzio revealed that Leeds are close to signing Souttar before the end of the month.
CaughtOffside has relayed Di Marzio’s claim that Souttar is ‘nearing a move to Elland Road’, though a deal is not yet set in stone.
This first few months of the current season saw the defender be out on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament rupture but has since made seven league appearances for Stoke.
In addition to that, the centre-back showed his quality in the recent World Cup for Australia, where he ended the tournament with the highest average of clearances per game (5.5) in the squad as well as the second-highest for interceptions (1.5) and joint-second highest for blocks per game (1).
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His overall performances earned Souttar a rating of 6.94/10 from WhoScored for his efforts in Qatar, making him the highest-rated player in Australia’s squad.
Having also seen his previous performances for Stoke labelled as “magnificent” by journalist Pete Smith, it’s clear that the 24-year-old clearly has what it takes to be a solid defensive unit.
Bearing in mind how Leeds have the highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (629) in the Premier League this season but one of the lowest totals of clearances (338), it’s easy to see why they are apparently looking to bring in a player like Souttar to help them improve that defensive statistic.
Moving forward, if the Yorkshire club are able to secure a deal for the Stoke star before the January transfer window closes, this would surely be a great way for Jesse Marsch to add some extra defensive strength and depth to his squad.