Leeds United are plotting an audacious move that could see them steal a march on their promotion rivals.
The Whites are back to winning ways after they beat QPR last weekend. Goals from Joel Piroe and Jayden Bogle were enough to secure a comfortable home win. Saturday was a much improved performance from Piroe, who had been the subject of criticism after how he played midweek.
Daniel Farke was pleased with the result, after the team bounced back from losing to Millwall:
“To deliver such a performance in the third game in seven days and to respond after a loss is never easy to answer in the next game with a win, but that is what we did.
“That was an electrifying first half and we fully deserved to go into the lead although we were a bit wasteful with our chances.”
Leeds United are still in third place, but have closed the gap on league leaders Sunderland, who dropped points this weekend.
QUIZ: Can you name the missing sponsor on these 10 Leeds United shirts?
Leeds United target rivals’ star player
Credit: Imago Images
With the future of Junior Firpo up in the air, Leeds are already looking for replacements. This has led them to Sunderland defender Dennis Cirkin. The Sunday Mirror have reported that Leeds hold a strong interest in the fullback, but the position of Sunderland is that the 22-year old is not for sale.
Cirkin is an attack minded fullback who is not afraid to get forward; the Sunderland man already has two goals this season. He was a highly rated prospect at Tottenham as an academy player; Jose Mourinho, who was Spurs boss at the time, gave his seal of approval after watching him play:
“OK, he’s 17, but he’s a kid with a lot of quality, and I look forward to bringing him to train with us, and to help his development,”
Cirkin reportedly had a £6million buy back clause that expired this year, that would be the amount Sunderland would ask for if a deal was possible.
Doing a deal with promotion rivals will be difficult
After 15 games in the Championship this year, Leeds United and Sunderland are both in the promotion race. It is highly unlikely that Dennis Cirkin would be sold at such a crucial part of the campaign.
This means that the club would consider Cirkin in the summer – if Leeds do find themselves in the Premier League, a deal for the defender would be much easier.
