Leeds United: Fresh twist emerges in Cheikhou Kouyate saga | OneFootball

Leeds are no longer in the mix for Kouyate, who was previously believed to be a free agent option for the Whites.

Leeds United have reportedly pulled the plug on a deal to sign Cheikhou Kouyate.

This is according to Football Insider, who believe the Whites have ended their pursuit of the free agent midfielder.

The Whites' links to the midfielder came after Ethan Ampadu was ruled out of action until the new year, with his knee ligament injury ruling the Wales international out of action.

The Welshman may not be ruled out of action for the remainder of the campaign, but even when he returns in January, he may need time to get up to speed.

He may also be required in central defence at that point, considering the Whites don't have a huge number of options in this department.

Max Wober may have stayed put and Joe Rodon may have joined permanently, but Charlie Cresswell, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente all left the club permanently during the summer window.

Liam Cooper also left the club on the expiration of his contract, so Ampadu may be required in defence if the Whites see one or two players become unavailable in the coming months.

When he returns, the Whites will have the January transfer window to make some additions, but they may not be able to make an expensive signing in this area, considering they are close to PSR limits.

Ilia Gruev is another player who looks set to spend an extended spell on the sidelines - and he may not return until after Ampadu - with the player likely to spend months and not weeks out of action.

This isn't ideal for a side who saw Archie Gray and Glen Kamara sold during the summer window, even though they were able to recruit Joe Rothwell (loan) and Ao Tanaka in return.

Kouyate was released by Nottingham Forest at the end of last term - and with the player yet to find a new club - he could have been a shrewd addition for the Whites.

They were reportedly weighing up a move for the midfielder, but according to Football Insider, they have now pulled the plug on a deal.

Talks did take place between the midfielder and the West Yorkshire side and at one point, it looked as though Kouyate was in with a good chance of making the switch to Elland Road.

However, Leeds aren't planning to hold further talks with the player, who has plenty of top-flight experience under his belt.

Leeds United should consider assessing free agent options

Leeds don't have a huge number of options in both their centre-back and central midfield area.

They should be weighing up options in the free agent market for both options, with Ampadu out of action.

It's a shame that the Whites don't have more options, because they wouldn't need to be distracted in the free agent market if they did.

However, they are where they are, and their decision to send Darko Gyabi out on loan was still the right decision in hindsight, with the player winning plenty of game time at Home Park.

Kouyate may have been a good option, but there must have been a key reason why the plug has seemingly been pulled on a deal.