The onus is firmly on Brenden Aaronson to make this Leeds United transfer happen if he wants to follow Erling Haaland in bucking a Red Bull Salzburg trend.
The USA international is Victor Orta’s primary transfer target in the January window and it is understood a second bid, of £20m, went into the Austrian giants this week.
However, Aaronson is under contract for another three-and-a-half years with the Red Bull outfit, who are under no pressure to sell in this window.
If the midfielder wants this move to happen it feels like he may need to be the one to let Salzburg know what he wants.
Salzburg have cultivated a worldwide reputation for scouting talent, developing it and then selling it on for vast profits.
That cycle has traditionally kept players at Red Bull Arena for two, three or four years to build their value before being sold on.
Aaronson, 21, has barely been in Austria for one year. Of the highest-profile sales Salzburg have made in recent years, the only player who was gone after 12 months was Haaland, when Borussia Dortmund beat Europe’s giants to his 19-year-old signature in 2019/20.
Aleksandar Andonov, head of sport at news website Salzburg24, told LeedsLive: “Salzburg's advantage is they have no pressure at all to sell Brenden.
“He's only been with them for a year. Red Bull Salzburg usually only sells the players two years after the commitment, but of course, there are exceptions like Erling Haaland.”
There is no doubt Aaronson’s long-term future lies away from Red Bull’s Austrian stable, but after selling Patson Daka to Leicester City and Enock Mwepu to Brighton & Hove Albion for more than £45m combined last year, money is hardly tight.
Michael Unverdorben, sports editor at newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten, told LeedsLive: “Salzburg has no reason to sell Aaronson right now.
“They have taken in a lot of money in recent years, most players like Aaronson are two, maximum three years in Salzburg.
“I personally believe he will go in the summer, at the latest in the winter of 2022/23, when Salzburg has played the Champions League again and the redemption sum (transfer fee) is high enough.”
Those who have watched Aaronson bed into life in Austria, after moving more than 4,000 miles from Philadelphia last winter, are agreed on how quickly he settled in.
Should Leeds get their man, the anecdotal evidence would suggest Aaronson has the ability to settle quickly into life on and off the pitch.
“Brenden feels very comfortable in Salzburg and he hardly needed any difficulties to arrive,” said Andonov. “After just a few weeks, he immediately impressed with solid performances.”
Unverdorben said: “It was amazing how quickly Aaronson arrived in Salzburg, acclimatising.
“He alone does not play such a big role in the current success. Salzburg is strong as a team and Aaronson has integrated very well [within that].”
The question of Aaronson’s role within the high-energy, high-pressing system Salzburg use is among the first every Leeds fan will have asked upon reading his name.
Head coach Matthias Jaissle has the Austrian Bundesliga leaders playing a 4-4-2 diamond with Aaronson playing as the central attacking midfielder behind two strikers.
“Aaronson works best as [a] 10,” said Unverdorben. “Coach Matthias Jaissle prefers a diamond in midfield.
“He also played on the eight, [but] the better performances Aaronson showed, however, as a number 10.”
Like most footballers, Aaronson has not been without critics as a 21-year-old still finding his way in the game.
“Aaronson is an important player for Salzburg, as he is currently the best 10,” said Unverdorben. “Sometimes he is still in a hurry, but he is certainly called to [a] higher [level].”
Andonov believes it is Aaronson’s running, pressing and speed which make him stand out, though a final product in and around the box remains an element he must work on.
“In the offensive game, Brenden has a relatively large amount of freedom and mainly stays behind the strikers,” he said.
“With his speed, the enormous amount of running and his technical skills, he is tailor-made for Red Bull football.
“In my opinion, one of his greatest strengths is [his] pressing, as well as receiving the ball and making the second contact.
“Above all, he has to work on the end. He is not yet dangerous enough.”
Time will tell how much Aaronson wants this move to happen, if at all, because as it stands, Salzburg are sure to continue playing hardball.
