Loan deals appear likely to form the basis of Leeds United’s January transfer window strategy.
Angus Kinnear suggested a while back that Leeds left two loan spaces open in the summer for a reason, with a view to assessing the situation this month.
Joe Rodon, Djed Spence and Jaidon Anthony are currently in the middle of season-long-loan deals from Premier League sides, but there could now be at least one more in the offing.
While Bournemouth’s David Brooks has already been linked, Ben Jacobs has now reported that Leeds could be in the running for Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.
Santos has just been recalled from a loan spell at Nottingham Forest and Jacobs has addressed the Brazilian’s situation on the CaughtOffside January Transfer Window Guide [3 January, 15:07].
Jacobs namechecks Leeds in Santos race
He says that while Crystal Palace are currently the side with the most concrete interest, Leeds and fellow promotion chasers Ipswich Town could also be two teams to watch.
He said: “Crystal Palace are interested, but there are Championship clubs as well. I think Ipswich might be one to watch, I think Leeds are still in the market because although they have made some sort of replacement, they’ve lost Weston McKennie and there might be a window of opportunity there, so don’t be surprised if we see some movement with Santos.”
With Ethan Ampadu, Glen Kamara, Archie Gray and Ilia Gruev all options in the middle of the park, it has to be said that it would be a surprise if a new central midfielder arrives this month.
It is also a little strange for Jacobs to name check McKennie as a link to the situation, given that his loan spell from Juventus ended a significant amount of time ago.
However, Santos is clearly a player Chelsea have high hopes for and having played just twice on loan at Forest, they are keen for him to join a club where he can play regularly. A Championship club may just be the best option for that.
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