Leeds United are really keen to complete a move for Brenden Aaronson before the January transfer window deadline on Monday...

What's the word?

That's according to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who delivered a fresh update on the situation during a recent appearance on CBS Sports' 'Que Golazo' podcast.

"Yes, it’s true. It’s true Salzburg rejected this proposal from Leeds," he said. "They want him, they’re obsessed with him, they want to sign him. But Aaronson is an important player [for Salzburg].

"They feel that he would be perfect for Leeds immediately but the problem is Salzburg prefer to wait. They have European football, they want to keep him until the end of the season and maybe sell him in the summer.

"This is why the situation is still not easy between the clubs.

"The player would be open to this move but from the club’s side, from Leeds’ side and from Salzburg’s side, at the moment, nothing is agreed yet because they hope to keep the player until the end of the season.

"We will see what happens in the coming days. At the end of the transfer window, anything can happen. But at the moment, it’s not an easy one for Leeds."

Gutting news

Whilst there is a glimmer of hope that the Yorkshire outfit can complete a move for their top target before next week, it seems rather unlikely on this evidence.

Romano has dealt a devastating blow to Marcelo Bielsa here as you'd imagine the Argentine is absolutely desperate for additions heading into the remainder of the current campaign.

His squad has been decimated with injuries regularly throughout the 2021/22 campaign and in some areas, they lack the strength in depth required to truly compete in the Premier League.

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They may well be clear of a relegation dogfight right now but that could quickly change with rearranged matches still to play and the likelihood of further injuries a sheer possibility, given the way things have gone already this term.

A new central midfielder is amongst the priorities, as evident by the link to Aaronson, and that's hardly a surprise considering the Yorkshiremen haven't signed someone in the role for four years and they are currently without a key player in the engine room in Kalvin Phillips.

The England international, who is ever so crucial to the way Bielsa sets up his Leeds team, is currently on the treatment table until March at the earliest. That's another month minimum without such an integral cog.

He's one of a handful of key first-team stars absent through injury - against West Ham in the Premier League recently, the Whites only had one senior pro on the bench amongst nine substitutes. That's how bad it's been.

Aaronson certainly fits the bill as your typical Bielsa signing - bags of potential, high work rate, good fitness and hugely versatile - but it seems as if this one will have to wait until the summer barring anything crazy before Monday.

Therefore, the Argentine head coach may be gutted heading into the second half of the campaign knowing that the club have failed to bolster his threadbare squad.

AND in other news, "They’ll be looking for": Journo drops intriguing Leeds claim as Orta plots major move...