Leeds United have had a bid knocked back for Brenden Aaronson this week, according to reports.

The Athletic claim that RB Salzburg have rejected the Whites' offer of £15m for the 21-year-old midfielder and also believe they are intent on signing him before deadline day on January 31st.

Historically, the Austria Bundesliga champions have rarely hesitated to cash in on their biggest and brightest stars but they remain in the Champions League and Aaronson's influence to the side makes him invaluable right now.

Therefore, the Yorkshire giants may need to turn their attention elsewhere and it's another name that they have been linked with that could prove the be the perfect solution.

Forget Aaronson

Just last week, Foot Mercato editor-in-chief Sebastien Denis claimed Leeds were one of several teams looking at a potential move for RC Lens midfielder Seko Fofana

And what a signing he would be.

Soon after these links, the Ivory Coast powerhouse captained his side to a last-gasp victory over Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1, where he bagged the winner in one of his typical box-to-box runs.

It was his eighth goal of the campaign.

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One of these strikes came during a 1-1 draw with financial giants Paris Saint-Germain, where he bullied Mauricio Pochettino's engine room, leading to journalist Zach Lowry describing him as a "phenom".

Fofana is currently Lens' second highest-rated player (7.09), per WhoScored figures, whilst he's averaged a squad-high 2.8 shots, 2.2 dribbles, 1.3 key passes, 0.8 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game.

That only goes to show how well-rounded he is - not only is he getting forward and contributing in the final third with cutting-edge passes and an incredible ability to carry the ball but he is also putting in the dirty work in his own half, as evident above.

It's no wonder his manager Franck Haise dubbed him "the most complete player."

"On the pitch, he is able to stay organized to adjust the team’s balance. At the same time, he has a great ability to create and to be decisive on the last pass. He is also capable of scoring a few goals in a season," he said (via Newcastle World).

Having begun his professional career at Manchester City, there have been interesting comparisons made to his former youth coach Patrick Vieira, who was an absolute box-to-box machine in his day at Arsenal, as well as Yaya Toure.

He'd only need to be half of either to be an instant hit at Elland Road. All of his attributes point towards him being an exciting fit for Bielsa and his high-intensity system.

Just imagine the £16.2m-rated dynamo sitting in front of an anchorman like Kalvin Phillips. He could really get forward to help Leeds in the final third, knowing that he has an international quality defensive midfielder behind him.

That's a mouthwatering partnership that could bring the Yorkshiremen so much success.

As such, Victor Orta and co must turn their attentions to Fofana before deadline day in a little over a week's time.

AND in other news, Leeds could welcome back key injured duo earlier than expected...