Leeds United's former Manchester City and Blackpool man 'subject of January interest'

The 23-year-old has been brought back into the fold at Elland Road this season following loan spells at Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool. Although he has been part of the first-team squad, appearances have proven hard to come by with competition on the flanks stiff.

He was recently given permission to miss fixtures in order to link up with the Colombia national team for the first time.

According to journalist Darren Witcoop, Poveda is already attracting interest from elsewhere. There is also said to be interest in his teammate Joe Gelhardt, although Leeds will reportedly not allow both to leave unless a replacement is found.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Witcoop said: “Leeds pair Joe Gelhardt and Ian Poveda already the subject of January interest. Gelhardt has suffered an injury-hit season but Leeds won’t allow both forwards to leave unless a replacement is found next month at this stage.”

Poveda arrived at Elland Road in January 2020, joining from Manchester City. He showed plenty of early promise but eventually slipped down the pecking order under Marcelo Bielsa.

There is intense competition for places out wide at Leeds, with Crysencio Summerville, Daniel James, Wilfried Gnonto and Jaidon Anthony all vying for minutes.

Gelhardt joined Leeds later on in 2020, following the club’s promotion to the Premier League. A string of impressive cameo appearances saw his reputation grow rapidly but his stock has dropped over the last 18 months.