Leeds United have a big job on their hands as they make their return to the Premier League.

As impressive as United were on their way to winning the Championship this term, their squad does need bolstering as it contains a number of players that were part of the team that finished 13th before Marcelo Bielsa reinvigorated the squad.

One area that Victor Orta seemingly had earmarked for improvement was at left-back, with Phil Hay reporting that Leeds were very interested in Joe Bryan from Fulham, but it seems as though their chances of landing him may have taken a big hit.

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The playoff final will go down in history as Bryan’s final, scoring twice including a 40-yard stunner from a free-kick, and it has to be said that his stock has never been higher than it is right now.

United will probably have to pay a pretty penny for the full-back after his playoff heroics, but what is more poignant is that Fulham now have no reason to sell him.

The Cottagers are no longer bound by the financial constraints of the Championship, they’ve just won a game worth a reported £135m to them, and Shahid Khan wrote off a lot of their debt only a couple of weeks ago.

Fulham simply have more financial might than Leeds at the moment, and unless Andrea Radrizzani submits an eye-opening offer for Bryan, it’ll be tough to land their man.

The fact of the matter is that United may be back to square one in their pursuit of a new left-back and Orta may have to draw up a new shortlist of full-back targets to look into as a deal for the 26-year-old looks like it could now be tough to negotiate.