Elland Road. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Elland Road. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Elland Road. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Leeds United transfer news: Whites look to hijack Premier League deal, Orta is big fan of South American talent

It looks increasingly likely that Leeds United will let this transfer window come and go without making too much of an impact in the market.

Given how busy their summer recruitment was, that’s hardly surprising – but where Marcelo Bielsa is concerned, you can never say never.

According to Football Insider, the Whites have made a last ditch effort to hijack West Ham's move for RB Leipzig defender Matthew Bondswell.

The teenager had looked set to complete a move to East London with little complication, with a previous report suggesting that he had jetted into the capital on Monday to undergo a medical.

And while David Moyes’ side are still confident of wrapping up a deal for the 18-year-old left-back, it is understood that Leeds have done their best to derail their efforts.

Making a move on a player like Bondswell is certainly not out of character for Bielsa.

During his tenure at Elland Road we’ve seen him bring in the likes of Ian Poveda and Sam Greenwood, and the Argentine seems intent on making Thorp Arch a hotbed for emerging young talent.

The former Nottingham Forest prospect is still yet to make his senior debut in Germany, but that hasn’t stopped him from impressing during a loan spell with Dutch outfit FC Dordrecht.

According to Wyscout, the youngster has registered a dribble success rate of 60.9% this season, as well as having a crossing accuracy of 60%, and a pass completion rate of 78.1%.

As a point of reference, Stuart Dallas has registered a dribble success rate of 53.2% and a crossing accuracy of 18.4%.

Elsewhere, The Athletic report that Elland Road director of football Victor Orta has always been an admirer of Norwich City’s Argentine playmaker Emiliano Buendia.

The South American has reportedly been a target for the Whites for some time, with The Independent suggesting that he was on their radar back in August.

Orta's interest has been more than vindicated in recent times as Buendia has shone in the Championship this season, and his average match rating of 7.60 is the highest in the division up to this point, as per Whoscored.

Don’t be surprised to see Leeds linked with him again in the future…

We’ve gathered the rest of this afternoon's Premier League transfer speculation below: