Report: Leeds now face fight to sign ‘special’ 24-year-old as Championship trio ready moves
Leeds United have been joined in the race by Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien.
That is according to journalist Alan Nixon, who provided the update on Leeds‘ pursuit of O’Brien on his Patreon as the window heads into the final stretch.
It is said that Coventry, Ipswich and Middlesbrough have all enquired about the possibility of taking O’Brien on loan for the full season.
Leeds are also keen on signing the 24-year-old – who Carlos Corberan hailed as ‘special’ back in 2021 – in a temporary deal as they ramp up their pursuit of a new midfielder.
Forest ideally want to sell O’Brien permanently or include a purchase option in a loan deal, but none of the Championship quartet are yet to warm to that idea.
Leeds face fight to sign Forest’s O’Brien
O’Brien is among several midfielders having been linked with a move to Leeds ahead of Friday’s 11pm deadline.
The Whites are also chasing Rangers’ Glen Kamara and according to Fabrizio Romano, are close to an agreement for the 27-year-old after a summer full of speculation.
Fortuna Dusseldorf’s Ao Tanaka is the latest name on Leeds’ radar with Bild reporting over the weekend that a bid had been submitted.
O’Brien is undoubtedly the most proven of those options at this level, but at the same time, appears to be the most difficult to do.
According to Phil Hay, O’Brien is on a considerable salary at Forest and if the Premier League side want full coverage of his wages, it could put potential buyers off.
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The Whites could land a big Georginio Rutter upgrade by signing a “powerful” 5 foot 11 ace.
Leeds United have finally claimed their first win of the Championship season at long last, and could be set to build upon that success with further acquisitions in the transfer window…
Who else could Leeds United sign this summer?
Having welcomed Joel Piroe last Thursday night, fans were thrilled to see that his arrival had come in time to throw him straight into the starting squad.
Daniel Farke had been crying out for a star striker, so it came as little surprise that he wasted no time in handing the former Swansea man his first start, with the Dutchman enjoying a dream debut as he hit the back of the net even before 20 minutes had gone.
His goals are set to spearhead a promotion charge that might finally now get underway, but he alone cannot be solely relied upon for firepower.
Therefore, perhaps their reported interest in Aberdeen striker Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes from earlier this month could add those supplementary goals needed to make them less reliant.
Football Transfers value the forward at €1.1m (£1m).
Who is Luis Duk Lopes?
Having kickstarted his career in his homeland, the 5 foot 11 finisher traded Benfica B for Aberdeen just last year.
It is fair to say that he has taken to life in Scotland with ease, finding the net with immense regularity for a side that finished as the best of the rest behind the Old Firm clubs. He would score 16 times in the Scottish Premiership, assisting a further six across those 33 games.
This marked the true breakout of the 23-year-old, who clearly blends creativity with proficiency in front of goal.
