Leeds United transfer update revealed on Francis Coquelin, Christoph Kramer | OneFootball

The chances of Leeds signing either of the pair has effectively been revealed, with reports linking them to the Whites thought to be wide of the mark.

Reports linking Francis Coquelin and Christoph Kramer with moves to Leeds United are wide of the mark.

This is according to an update from Leeds Live, amid the Whites' search for a new central midfielder.

The West Yorkshire side managed to be productive during the summer transfer window, but they are currently short of options in central midfield for a few different reasons.

Ethan Ampadu is currently out injured until the new year - and that's a blow for Daniel Farke - considering how important the Welshman has been since he arrived at Elland Road last year.

Ilia Gruev is also out of action at this stage and looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka may be available as alternative options, and the latter may be playing extremely well at this point, but depth in the middle of the park is an issue.

Both Rothwell and Tanaka signed for the club during the summer - and they were much-needed additions following the departures of Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Marc Roca, Jamie Shackleton and Lewis Bate.

Darko Gyabi has also left the Whites to join Plymouth Argyle on loan, so the West Yorkshire side don't have that many central midfield options at this point.

There may only be just over two months to go until the January transfer window opens, but a solution to their midfield situation is needed in the short term, and the club has been linked with quite a few free agents in recent weeks.

Yesterday, head coach Farke revealed that progress had been made on signing a free agent, but it remains to be seen when a player will officially be recruited.

Both Coquelin and Kramer have been linked with moves to Elland Road in recent times.

Coquelin was previously an important first-teamer at Premier League giants Arsenal, but is currently a free agent after leaving Spanish outfit Villarreal.

Kramer, 33, was a long-serving player at Borussia Mönchengladbach and previously played under Farke when the current Leeds boss managed the Bundesliga side.

He was also part of Germany's 2024 World Cup-winning team - and he has plenty of useful experience under his belt.

Both players could be good additions for the Whites, but reports linking them to the West Yorkshire outfit are wide of the mark, according to Leeds Live.

Leeds United need a short-term solution in the central midfield area

The Whites have been able to cope without Ampadu and Gruev.

The quality of their current midfield can't be questioned, with Rothwell having promotion-winning experience under his belt.

Tanaka has also done well, performing extremely well against Sheffield United and picking up Sky Sports' man of the match award in the process.

But there are no guarantees that the pair will be able to stay fit - and this is why another midfielder needs to be brought in on a short-term deal.

Ideally, this midfielder would stay until the end of the season to provide extra depth, and it will be interesting to see who comes in.

Cheikhou Kouyate and Joshua Guilavogui are two players who are thought to be of interest to Farke's side.