Leeds transfers: Four firm offers and more on the way

McDermott said an initial round of bids would be followed by another spate of enquiries by Leeds, admitting he had “gone for four so far” but wanted to “bring in others on top of that”.

United’s manager refused to comment on rumours of interest in specific players, saying only that former Leeds defender Ian Harte was not on his radar, but he described those approached so far as “receptive” to the prospect of a transfer to Elland Road.

Leeds have been strongly linked with several players, among them striker Noel Hunt, who played for McDermott at Reading but will leave the Madejski Stadium when his contract ends on June 30.

McDermott is due to attend Hunt’s wedding in Ireland later this month and is widely expected to secure the forward on a free transfer in time for the start of the new Championship season.

Bolton Wanderers’ Matt Mills - a former Reading captain - and Manchester City’s reserve defender, Reece Wabara, are also being touted for moves to Leeds, though Mills is likely to cost upwards of £750,000 and presently earns around £25,000 a week.

McDermott is working to seal his first signing as Leeds boss with pre-season training three weeks’ away but the 52-year-old said: “We’ve made offers to players and we’ve gone for four so far.

“We’re working on them at the moment and they’re players who would improve the squad. But there are others who I’m looking to speak to. I want to bring in others on top of that.

“I won’t talk names and I won’t talk timescales because it means nothing until you’ve got a player signed. But we are progressing.”

Asked if he was facing competition for his preferred signings, McDermott said: “The question I always ask of players is ‘do you want to play for this club?’

“If the answer to that is ‘yes, but I’d rather go elsewhere for the sake of a few quid extra’ then it’s better that the player moves elsewhere. I’ve no issue with that. But the ones we’ve been in touch with have been receptive and they’re giving me the feeling that they want to come. That’s important.”

Jamaican winger Chris Humphrey will not be joining Leeds after agreeing a free transfer from Motherwell to Preston North End yesterday.

Leeds expressed an interest in the 25-year-old towards the end of the recent season but did not see him as a first-choice target.

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