Leeds are incredibly unlikely to do any transfer business in January.

We hate to admit it, but this isn’t a period of the year that either Marcelo Bielsa or Victor Orta like. You only need to look at the deal for Jean-Kevin Augustin last year to understand that.

What’s the word?

Of course, that won’t stop the Whites from being linked with new faces. After all, if an exceptional circumstance reveals itself then Orta could be tempted to act.

The likes of Diego Costa and Julian Draxler have been touted with switches but the latest name on the block is someone rather unknown in comparison.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Leeds and AC Milan are both interested in signing Toulouse midfielder Kouadio Kone.

If the 19-year-old departs then he could become the most expensive player in Ligue 2 history. The report claims that any willing suitor will have to pay €15m (£13m) in order to prise Kone away.

Leeds have supposedly been interested in the player for a while and now a move could materialise in the coming month.

Ronaldo Vieira 2.0

Kone is an unknown quantity on the biggest stages but the qualities he’s shown in his small career so far are exceptional.

The teenager has a tall frame and is mightily powerful both on the ball and off it. Detailing Kone’s finest qualities, journalist Marco Conterio said: “Alla Pogba, he is a dribbler with a great physique and long levers, with precision even in the shot on goal. At the moment he is one of the most interesting box-to-box on the international scene.”

That is a glowing review and you only need to look at the statistics to understand further what sort of player Leeds would be getting.

In Ligue 1 last term, the youngster won a colossal 2.7 tackles per game. On top of that, he managed 1.5 interceptions a match and 0.8 dribbles. Kone is a real nuisance when he strides forward, being fouled 2.2 times an outing.

Of course, these qualities are rather similar to Kalvin Phillips but we want to compare him to a former United man in Ronaldo Vieira. The midfielder is now playing his football in Italy but possessed very similar qualities.

During his final season at Elland Road, Vieira won 2.1 tackles and made 1.4 interceptions a match. In terms of his dribbling, the Brazilian managed 0.7 successful take-ons.

Evidently, they are incredibly alike. If Orta brings Kone to Yorkshire then he could well make up for the loss of Vieira in 2018.

AND in other news, Forget Rodrigo: Leeds must move for "extraordinary" £30m gem, Orta has found Pablo 2.0...