"Disagreement" arises between Leeds United and Daniel Farke regarding midfield target | OneFootball

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Leeds United and Daniel Farke are in disagreement over a move for Ao Tanaka of Fortuna Dusseldorf, according to a report via Sport Witness.

Leeds have recently submitted an offer to sign the Düsseldorf midfielder, according to a report from German outlet BILD.

DanielFarke is well accustomed to the German leagues, having taken charge of SV Lippstadt and Borussia Dortmund II before his switch to Norwich City. He has since managed Borussia Mönchengladbach more recently before being sacked by the Bundesliga outfit earlier in the summer to take over at Elland Road.

During his spell with Norwich, he utilised the German market and brought in the likes of Tom Trybull, Marco Stiepermann, Moritz Leitner and more from across the channel to Norfolk. Tanaka is a player he is seemingly want to do similar with.

His contract doesn't expire for another two years which leaves his current club in a position where they may feel it is best to cash in, and Farke is said to be hoping to get a deal over the line for the 24-year-old, alongside Bundesliga side Stuttgart.

They recently made a €2.7m offer for the player but they have since pulled out of the race, handing the Whites an opportunity to steal a march on their competition and get a deal over the line for the Japan international.

Leeds' offer for Tanaka is reportedly higher than Stuttgart's and although the West Yorkshire outfit are still in negotiations to recruit the midfielder, he could potentially make the move to England in the coming days.

Phil Hay of The Athletic has recently confirmed the reports linking Leeds with the Japan international. He said: "Talk in Germany of late interest in another Farke target, Fortuna Düsseldorf’s Ao Tanaka, is accurate."

What's the latest on Leeds' move for Tanaka?

Fortuna Düsseldorf’s Tanaka is not expected to join Leeds, according to today’s Rheinische Post via Sport Witness.

They contacted Fortuna Düsseldorf sporting director Christian Weber to ask about the reported offer from the Whites, and he responded by saying: “I’m not commenting on that.”

It is claimed the pursuit of the player was instigated by Leeds' manager, but no official offer has been made despite earlier claims, but they have registered their interest with the second division German club.

It’s stated Farke wants the 24-year-old at Elland Road but Leeds’ "squad planner" [likely a director at the club] is not in agreement with the German on this subject.

The report states that "apparently there’s disagreement" at Leeds between the squad planner and Farke as the former believes Tanaka isn’t the right candidate to bolster their midfield, and it is claimed that the possibility of the player joining the West Yorkshire outfit before the deadline seems to have been ruled out.

Is missing out on Ao Tanaka a blow for Leeds United?

Tanaka could be a solid addition to Leeds’ midfield. Departures have meant adding quality in this area is imperative, with Leeds stretched thin currently. The dearth of options available to Farke include Ethan Ampadu, Archie Gray, Darko Gyabi, Lewis Bate, and Jamie Shackleton; but all are aged 23 and under.

The Japanese midfielder would have been a great addition to come in as part of a new-look pivot with good mobility and a good all-round skill-set for a midfielder, and it made sense with Leeds in need of at least one more body to ease the pressure on players like Gray, and potentially offer them guidance as well,

It appears as though their attention is on other targets, though, with it being no secret that Leeds are keen to bring in at least one midfielder ahead of the deadline on Friday night, and it emerged yesterday that the Whites had moved for Werder Bremen's Ilia Gruev.