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

What's the talk?

That's according to Simon Phillips, with the journalist revealing in a recent post on his Substack that the Whites are one of a number of Premier League clubs monitoring the situation of the Juventus midfielder ahead of launching a potential move for the 24-year-old in the winter market.

Phillips goes on to state that the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Aston Villa are also interested in a move for the USA international - who it is reported Massimiliano Allegri would be happy to part with in January.

Klich upgrade

Considering just how impressive McKennie has been for Juventus in recent seasons, coupled with Mateusz Klich very much appearing to be coming towards the end of his career at Elland Road, it is not difficult to understand why Victor Orta would be interested in a move to bring the American to LS11 in the winter window.

Indeed, with the 24-year-old boasting incredibly impressive positional versatility - being able to operate from defensive, central, attacking, left and right midfield - it is clear to see how useful an asset the 34-cap international would be in Jesse Marsch's first-team squad.

The £43.5m-rated talent is also clearly an exceptionally talented player, with FBref ranking McKennie in the top 14% of midfielders in Europe's big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the top 14% for non-penalty xG, the top 8% for touches in the opposition penalty area and the top 33% for shots over the last 365 days - proving his effectiveness in the final third.

Furthermore, the £54k-per-week ace also ranks in the top 2% of attacking midfielders for clearances per 90, as well as the top 6% for blocks, the top 11% for interceptions, the top 11% for aerial duels won and the top 16% for tackles over the past 12 months - demonstrating McKennie's extremely impressive work-rate in a defensive capacity.

And, with the 32-year-old Klich seeing both his game time and performance levels drop in the current campaign - being yet to start a Premier League fixture in 2022/23, as well as averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.56 over his nine league outings - it would very much appear as if Leeds could do with an upgrade on the Poland international in the not too distant future.

As such, a move for the USA star who David Wagner dubbed "outstanding" this winter would tick a lot of boxes for the Whites, although, considering the sheer amount of interest in McKennie, Orta must act quickly if Leeds are to have any chance of bringing the 24-year-old to Elland Road.