Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Ross Barkley to Elland Road in the January transfer window.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that Victor Orta could look to reignite his summer interest in the Chelsea midfielder over the coming months, with Leeds in desperate need of January reinforcements due to a lack of depth in the middle of the park.

The report goes on to state that the 27-year-old is open to a move away from Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window in a bid to play regular first-team football, with a loan deal appearing to be the most likely way for the former England international to do so.

Imagine him & Phillips

Considering just how short of options Marcelo Bielsa is in the heart of his Leeds side, with the 66-year-old only being able to call upon Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich, Jamie Shackleton and the recently returned Adam Forshaw, a move to bring in a fresh pair of legs in central midfield would certainly seem an advisable one for Orta this winter.

And, while Barkley has not had much chance to impress for Chelsea this season, with the midfielder having started just two fixtures this term, the 27-year-old demonstrated during a loan spell with Aston Villa last season that he would nevertheless make a fantastic addition to Leeds' current crop.

Indeed, over his 26 Premier League appearances last time out - two of which came for the Blues - the £15.3m-rated man scored three goals, registered one assist and created six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Frank Lampard once likened to Wayne Rooney earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, with his displays playing a key role in helping Villa secure an impressive 11th place finish in the top flight.

As such, should the £96k-per-week Barkley be able to refind this level of form following a potential switch to Elland Road in January, the 27-year-old would very much look to make something of a perfect central midfield partner to the more defensively-minded Kalvin Phillips, or even as the Whites' more attacking option in a three-man midfield.

So, should there indeed be a deal to be done for Barkley this winter, Leeds and Orta could certainly do a lot worse than bringing the former England international to Elland Road for the second half of the season.

In other news: 113 touches: Leeds' £36m-rated "Rolls-Royce" was Bielsa's only silver lining at Spurs