Ten full days stand between Leeds United and the end of the January transfer window. There is a keenness to do business, but not desperation and no appetite for a bad deal.
Up until now, the best business of the month has seen Adam Forshaw pen a new contract, while the most newsworthy move has been Cody Drameh’s loan to Cardiff City.
Mateo Joseph's the one arrival, while some under-23 contracts and Ryan Edmondson’s latest loan are footnotes on what’s been a window about one man for Victor Orta.
Brenden Aaronson is the man Leeds want to make their first central midfield acquisition since Forshaw arrived from Middlesbrough in January 2018.
The 21-year-old is tied up with a contract at Champions League last-16 qualifiers Red Bull Salzburg until 2025.
Furthermore, the Austrian giants have no financial pressure on them to sell in this window, especially when a mouth-watering tie with Bayern Munich awaits them next month.
The USA international has only been with the Red Bull side for 12 months and, in an ideal world, their transfer cycle generally keeps a player for at least 18 months, if not two years, to maximise their value before selling on.
United saw a £15m bid knocked back in the first instance, though a £20m bid reportedly went in on Friday.
As with the pursuit of Ben White in the summer of 2020, Orta and Leeds will need to make a judgement call on how long they test Salzburg’s waters before moving onto another target or, indeed, another window.
Very few names beyond Aaronson’s have been produced by the rumour mill with much credibility and the noises out of Elland Road are all about the American with 10 days to go.
Leeds will not allow themselves to spend over the odds on Aaronson either. The club is confident with what they feel he is worth and won’t go beyond that, no matter what Salzburg try to push.
The ball may well be in Aaronson’s court if the clubs ultimately reach an impasse. If he wants the move to happen he may need to force Salzburg’s hand, though his contract does ensure Red Bull hold all the cards.
Drameh’s exit was neither expected nor wanted, as Marcelo Bielsa expressed last week. Unless anyone else comes forward asking to leave, it seems unlikely Leeds will allow anyone else to depart Thorp Arch before the window closes.
