Here are your Leeds United transfer rumours on Tuesday, March 29.
Dyer admits Downes is Premier League level
Former Newcastle United midfielder Kieron Dyer believes that Flynn Downes will join a Premier League club in the summer amid strong reported interested from Leeds United. The Whites have been heavily linked with a move for the 23-year-old after impressing at Swansea City this season.
It is safe to say the Whites could do with strengthening in midfield and Downes has been tipped to join the Whites. And Dyer, who recently left his position as Ipswich Town Under 23s manager, has claimed he is ready for a top-flight move in the near future.
“Flynn was in the bomb squad (last year). Which, by the way, I totally agreed with because I was in the meeting when he said to (manager) Paul Cook that he would like to move on,” Dyer told the Ipswich Star.
Read more: Five potential Raphinha replacements as nightmare summer scenario plays out for Leeds United
“But he’s always been emotional. He’s that type of character. So me and BK (Bryan Klug, Ipswich’s Head of Coaching and Player Development) were good for him. We listened to him, we understood him.
“We got to the point where we arranged a truce meeting with him and Paul Cook so that it could be agreed that he could stay. But it was two alpha males going at it, the meeting didn’t go to plan and Flynn left.
“Either myself or Bryan should have been in that room. If I could have persuaded Flynn to stay we would have had a midfield of Sam Morsy and Flynn Downes and would be top of the league! I’m telling you now, Flynn Downes will go for £10m this summer to a Premier League club.
“That pains me because I could have made a difference and I let that slip after we out all that work in.”
Leeds 'interested' in Garner
Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Manchester United loanee James Garner in the summer. The midfielder has impressed on loan at Championship club Nottingham Forest this season.
However, the Athletic have reported that the Whites are amongst a number of Premier League outfits who are keen to bring Garner to their club at the end of the season. The 21-year-old has scored three times in 36 appearances for the Reds this season after previously netting four in 20 for Forest on loan last campaign.
The Whites are expected to invest in their midfield in the summer following a season where they have struggled to find balance in the absence of star midfielder Kalvin Phillips. The club are considering a number of options across the board and a few players have already made it to their shortlist of potential targets.
Garner is supposedly one of those linked, while Flynn Downes and Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O'Brien are also supposed targets for a move to the Whites. It has been claimed that Garney is highly-rated by those at Elland Road and it could be a move that occurs in the summer transfer window.
READ MORE: Leeds United uncertainty amid Raphinha transfer interest can earn club extra €50 million
Raphinha part-exchange deal would be a mistake
Rumours have swirled around Leeds United's Raphinha ever since the very early stages of this season. In fact, they began last summer as Liverpool were said to have an interest in the Brazilian after a strong debut campaign in the Premier League. However, the Whites were never going to sell their star winger after one season.
This term, Leeds have gone backwards as a team and have never managed to truly pull away from the relegation zone. Wins in the last two games brought a big step towards safety, however it appears clear that Raphinha is capable of playing for a Champions League team. Meanwhile the Whites' most realistic hope for next season would be a season in mid-table.
As such, there is a growing sense that the Brazilian's exit is inevitable. In recent days, Barcelona have emerged as favourites to sign Raphinha, with prominent journalists sharing daily updates over the state of negotiations between the player's agent, Deco and the Blaugrana.
One update which came on Sunday stated that an offer from Barcelona could include 22-year-old defender, Oscar Mingueza as a way of bringing the potential fee down. It's well known that the Catalan club have suffered from huge financial losses in recent seasons and the kind of fee which Leeds will want for their biggest asset could be a problem for the potential buyers.
Considering Leeds' struggles in the Premier League this season - and with the squad beginning to show real signs of aging - Victor Orta has a crucial summer ahead of him when he will need to make several signings to refresh the first team. With that in mind, accepting a part-exchange for Raphinha seems a sub-optimal choice.
