Here are your Leeds United transfer rumours and gossip for Thursday, March 16.
Leeds United 'pull plug' on Weston McKennie deal
Leeds United will not be exercising their option to sign Weston McKennie on a permanent basis at the end of his loan spell, according to reports in Italy.
The American is currently on loan from Juventus where Leeds have an option to make his stay a permanent one at the end of the season. However, Italian outlet Tutto Sport are now reporting that the Whites will not be exercising their option to sign McKennie in the summer.
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They now state that Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is a big admirer of the 24-year-old and that his side are looking to swoop in with a deal that could even see Argentine World Cup winner Emi Martinez go the other way.
However, it is understood that if McKennie meets certain criteria during his time at Elland Road - such as number of appearances and Leeds avoiding relegation - the Whites' Premier League rivals will not get the opportunity to sign McKennie due to the automatic completion of the transfer.
Whites name Junior Firpo's relegation pricetag
Elsewhere, Inter Live have reported that Leeds will sell Junior Firpo for as little as €10million (£8.76m) should they be relegated at the end of this season.
There are many reasons for the West Yorkshire club to avoid relegation this term, one of which being to avoid a potential exodus of players. It now seems that Inter Milan are already eyeing up Firpo as a possible target should they drop into the Championship as they look to tempt the defender to Serie A.
Yet even if Leeds retain their top-flight status for the 2023/24 campaign, they might still struggle to keep the 26-year-old with the report suggesting that he is keen to join a side that can offer him European football.
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