Leeds United and Brighton set to miss out on midfielder transfer | OneFootball

Leeds United have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Motherwell youngster Dylan Wells, according to the Daily Record.

The Scottish outlet have reported that the 18-year-old is close to putting pen to paper on an extension with the his current club, which is a huge boost for them considering Wells has attracted plenty of interest.

He isn't the first young Steelman player to have attracted interest from sides south of the border, with Max Johnston - who has since moved on to Sturm Graz - also being tracked by a number of clubs in the past from England.

Wells' impact for the first team at Fir Park has been limited thus far, making just two senior appearances this season, but he is clearly someone who is highly rated and someone his current side are desperate to retain beyond the end of this season.

His contract with the Scottish top tier outfit is set to expire at the end of the campaign and this would have given other teams the opportunity to secure his signature for a nominal amount, but it doesn't seem as though he will be leaving anytime soon.

He is set to snub interest from elsewhere and put pen to paper on fresh terms in the coming weeks, with contract talks now thought to be at an "advanced stage".

Manager Stuart Kettlewell is thought to have played a key role in this likely decision, with Wells recognising that his manager is happy to give young players like him an opportunity to shine.

It's no surprise that Brighton and Hove Albion are in the mix for him, with the Seagulls clearly having one eye on the future.

In January, Valentin Barco joined the club from Boca Juniors and Kamari Doyle also made the move to the Amex Stadium from Southampton.

Caylan Vickers joined too, coming in from Reading after managing to make an impact at a first-team level at the Select Car Leasing Stadium during the first half of the campaign.

Because they are a Premier League team, they may have had an advantage over Leeds in this race, with the Whites not guaranteed to secure promotion at the end of the 2023/24 season.

However, Daniel Farke's team are certainly in the mix for a top-two finish.

Leeds United could have benefitted from signing Dylan Wells for the future

Leeds may have a talented squad at their disposal now, but they also need to build for the future.

Even if he doesn't manage to become a major long-term asset at Elland Road, he could potentially be sold on for a decent amount in the future.

That would allow the Whites to spend more in the transfer market, which should increase their chances of being successful if they recruit wisely.

With the player out of contract, they wouldn't have had to spend too much to bring him in.