Leeds United should consider revisiting previous Burnley link - and it's not Connor Roberts: View | OneFootball

The Whites may be limited in what they can spend this summer, but a move for Manuel Benson could be ideal.

Leeds United have endured a fairly mixed start to the summer window.

After seeing their former loanees leave, they also took the decision to release some players who were surplus to requirements at Elland Road, including Lewis Bate and Ian Poveda.

They are also yet to come to an agreement to retain the likes of Liam Cooper, Cody Drameh and Jamie Shackleton, with Cooper expected to leave, Drameh likely to reject fresh terms and Shackleton looking set to sign for Sheffield United.

As well as this, Archie Gray recently left the club to make a big-money move to Tottenham Hotspur.

However, Joe Rodon has returned to West Yorkshire as a much-needed addition, with the Whites able to fund a permanent move for the Welshman following Gray's sale.

With Cooper yet to sign fresh terms and Charlie Cresswell potentially set to leave Elland Road between now and the end of the summer transfer window, the centre-back area was one that needed to be addressed, and Rodon looks set to be an excellent addition for next season and beyond.

In many positions, they are well-covered, but there are some areas that will need to be strengthened in the coming weeks to give them the best chance of being successful next term.

The right-back department requires strengthening, with Drameh, Ayling and Shackleton all seeing their deals expire and Gray departing. This is an area that Daniel Farke needs to address as a matter of urgency.

The central midfield area could also benefit from more depth, and it's an area they need to look at with Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara being linked with a move away in recent weeks.

Leeds have some excellent wing options at this point.

Crysencio Summerville was one of the best players in the Championship last term, despite the fact he was disappointing in the play-off final.

Dan James was the one Leeds player who was able to shine at Wembley and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him impress again next term, along with Willy Gnonto who managed to put previous transfer speculation behind him to play a key role for a decent chunk of last season.

However, Luis Sinisterra has sealed a permanent move away from West Yorkshire and Jack Harrison has re-joined Everton on loan.

With Jaidon Anthony also heading back to his parent club, the Whites will need to invest in at least one winger between now and the end of the window.

Leeds United should look to sign former target Manuel Benson

Some would argue that targeting a backup option would be ideal, with Summerville, Gnonto and James all likely to want to play a major role next season.

However, there's a chance that all three wingers will be heavily linked with moves away from Elland Road in the coming weeks, especially Summerville who has attracted interest from several Premier League teams.

And even if none of these players leave, bringing in a top-quality option will help to increase competition in the wing area and with that, maximise performance levels.

That should only help Leeds in next season's promotion quest - and one player they could target is Burnley's Manuel Benson.

The Clarets' winger was linked with a move to Elland Road back in January after failing to win much game time during the first half of the 2023/24 campaign, despite playing a crucial role for the Lancashire club during their promotion-winning 2022/23 season.

He was a game-changer for the Clarets during 2022/23, cutting in and scoring numerous screamers, with those contributions helping to guide the club back to the top flight.

Benson could be just as effective at Leeds as part of their front four, with Summerville on the left, Rutter as a central advanced midfield figure, the Belgian on the right and Joel Piroe up top.

And the Lancashire club could potentially be tempted to let the player go, either temporarily or permanently, considering the number of wing options they have at their disposal.

It could definitely be argued that Burnley have a bloated squad that needs trimming - and the Belgian could be one player that's offloaded to balance the books.