With Leeds United looking more and more likely to stay in the Premier League and only three games remaining, attention is already starting to turn towards the summer transfer window.
Inside the club, there’s an understanding that survival is just the beginning, especially with a second season in the top flight often being even more demanding and requiring major investment.
Work is already underway behind the scenes to strengthen the squad, with Leeds identifying key positions to improve and drawing up a list of targets ahead of the summer.
It now looks like the club could be close to completing their first signing too, with Japanese midfielder Hidemasa Morita reportedly nearing a free-transfer move to Elland Road.
Aston Villa and Brighton threaten to hijack deal for Hidemasa Morita
Leeds are in advanced negotiations to sign the 30-year-old midfielder on a free transfer, and are set to offer him a two-year contract.
The Japanese international has decided to leave Sporting Lisbon when his contract expires in the summer and wants to play in the Premier League.
Leeds have moved early to secure an agreement, and there are suggestions that he could be on the verge of finalising a deal to join the Whites this summer.
However, according to TEAMTalk, Aston Villa and Brighton are also monitoring Morita and are considering making a move to sign him in the upcoming transfer window.
His free agent status and Champions League experience are key reasons behind the interest from more clubs in the Premier League beyond Leeds.
Porto have also expressed an interest in signing the midfielder on a free transfer. However, his preference is to move to the Premier League this summer.
Leeds cannot afford to dither
The Whites cannot afford to drag these negotiations out and allow other clubs to make their move and threaten to hijack the negotiations.
Leeds will need to move quickly to finalise an agreement with Hidemasa Morita and get the deal completed as soon as possible if they want to secure one of their priority targets.
Aston Villa are likely to be in the Champions League by the end of the season, and that could be a huge draw for Morita, who has European experience.
Brighton are also in the race to qualify for Europe, and could offer European football to Morita once the Premier League season is over.
This is Leeds’ chance to convince him to move to Elland Road ahead of Premier League rivals with more leverage.
