What Joe Rothwell’s arrival now means for Glen Kamara’s future at Leeds United amid Rennes interest

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Glen Kamara is a player who continues to be linked with a potential exit out of Leeds United this summer.

Ligue 1 side Rennes appear to be hot on the trail of Kamara following the sale of Enzo Le Fee to AS Roma, with reports from France indicating personal terms have already been agreed.

Brighton & Hove Albion are also reportedly interested, and so the arrival of Joe Rothwell on a season-long-loan from Bournemouth has raised question marks over Kamara’s future.

With Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev likely to compete for that position just in front of the back four, Kamara and Rothwell are more box-to-box, number eight options.

Though Kamara does not possess the goal threat of Rothwell, they can both provide that link between defence and attack thanks to their ball carrying abilities.

• READ MORE: There is now a chance that £10.5m player leaves Leeds United this summer with multiple teams keen

What Rothwell’s arrival means for Kamara’s Leeds future

Following Archie Gray’s £40 million switch to Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds are now back up to four midfield options due to Rothwell’s arrival.

However, the cynics among Leeds’ fanbase have suggested that Rothwell has been brought in on the cheap as a replacement for the exit-linked Kamara.

Leeds do not want to lose Kamara less than 12 months on from last summer’s longest transfer saga that eventually saw him join from Rangers for around £5 million.

If Rennes or any other interested clubs were to submit an offer in excess of that figure, though, it would be interesting to see whether Leeds’ stance would change.

That said, according to Leeds Live, Rothwell is not viewed as a replacement for Kamara despite the ever growing speculation on his future.

The report states that Rothwell’s arrival ‘has not come in to pave the way’ for Kamara to leave, indicating that another midfielder would be brought in if that materialised. No bid has yet been received by Rennes.

• READ MORE: £600k player now expected to snub Leeds United and join Championship rival

What Rennes’ sporting director said on Kamara interest

Rennes’ sporting director Frederic Massara has already been asked about the prospect of signing Kamara this summer.

Massara did seemingly hint that Rennes are looking at a potential deal for the 28-year-old, but have other names on their shortlist which could be finalised sooner.

He said: “He’s a Leeds player, a good player, interesting for sure, but lots of names that perhaps haven’t come out could come, and even quickly, I hope we’ll finalise soon.”