Leeds transfer news: 'Interesting' claim emerges on Whites deal for 'inexhaustible' star | OneFootball

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GiveMeSport

·23 January 2022

Leeds transfer news: 'Interesting' claim emerges on Whites deal for 'inexhaustible' star

Article image:Leeds transfer news: 'Interesting' claim emerges on Whites deal for 'inexhaustible' star

Journalist Pete O'Rourke does not think that signing Torino full-back Ola Aina is a priority for Leeds this month.

Aina has previous Premier League experience from spells at Chelsea, Hull City and Fulham, and it has been reported that a return to England could happen in January.


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What's the latest news involving Aina?

After spending last season on loan at Fulham, Aina has been back at Torino this term and has featured regularly for the Serie A side.

However, he is now into the final 18 months of his contract at the club, and it is understood that Leeds have shown an interest in signing the defender, who was recently praised for his "inexhaustible" performance against Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

It has been claimed that Torino would be open to selling Aina if they receive an appropriate offer, although this stance may have changed after fellow wing-back Mohamed Fares suffered an ACL injury recently which will now keep him out of action for the remainder of the season.

What has O'Rourke said about Leeds' pursuit of Aina?

O'Rourke has hinted that Aina, who has been described as an "animal" by his teammate Cristian Ansaldi, may not end up at Leeds this month as the club are not desperate for a full-back, and he believes that the 25-year-old could prove to be too expensive for the Premier League outfit.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Ola Aina is another interesting one. Another right-back who’s over in Torino but I think for this month it’s not a priority position for Leeds, and I think his price-tag would be out of their reach as well.”

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Should Leeds be making more of an effort to sign Aina?

When Marcelo Bielsa has a full-strength team at his disposal, Leeds have two solid full-backs to call upon in Luke Ayling and Junior Firpo.

However, injuries have forced Ayling to slot into a more central role on a number of occasions this season, while Firpo has battled with multiple fitness issues since arriving at Elland Road in the summer.

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Article image:Leeds transfer news: 'Interesting' claim emerges on Whites deal for 'inexhaustible' star

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As a result, Leeds have looked short of options at the back at times, and, with this in mind, they would probably benefit from adding another defender to their ranks in the final week of the transfer window.

Aina looks like a suitable target given that he can cover either full-back position, and his versatility could be a major boost for Leeds as they look to push up the table between now and the end of the season, so the Yorkshire-based club should be pushing to get this signing over the line.

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