Leeds United suffer fatal blow in Tottenham player pursuit | OneFootball

A move can to Elland Road can probably now be ruled out for Oliver Skipp, whose reported stance is a major blow for the Whites.

Leeds United look to have been dealt a major setback in their reported pursuit of Oliver Skipp.

According to TEAMtalk, the player is not keen on the thought of dropping down to the Championship, which all but rules out a move to Leeds for the Tottenham Hotspur player this summer.

The Whites have already moved to address their midfield department this summer, with Joe Rothwell's loan move from AFC Bournemouth coming as no surprise for various reasons.

Firstly, Ethan Ampadu has played in central defence at times for the Whites and this has meant that they have had one less option in the middle of the park.

Not only this, but Lewis Bate has been released, Jamie Shackleton has secured a move away from Elland Road, Darko Gyabi has gone out on loan again and Marc Roca has left Leeds permanently following his loan spell away from the club during the 2023/24 campaign.

Archie Gray has also departed the club, making a big-money move to Spurs, and all of these departures have left the Whites with a shortage of options in the middle of the park.

Glen Kamara has now followed these players out of Elland Road, making the move to Stade Rennais less than a year after making the switch to West Yorkshire.

This leaves Ampadu, Ilia Gruev and Rothwell as their central midfield options at this point and although they are three top-quality options, it's clear that they require more depth in this department before the summer transfer window closes during the latter stages of last month.

TEAMtalk have reported that Skipp doesn't want to drop down to the second tier, but that isn't the only blow for Leeds in their reported pursuit of the midfielder.

It has also been reported by the same outlet that the player is attracting interest from Premier League teams - and that is a boost for the player who is keen to test himself at the highest level.

Skipp previously spent time with Daniel Farke and Norwich City in the second tier, but it seems as though the player is adamant about remaining in his current division.

Leicester City are one of the teams that have been linked with a move for the midfielder - but they may need to strike a permanent deal - as opposed to a loan agreement.

Leeds United could turn to an alternative who played more regularly last season

Skipp is clearly a talent, but recruiting a midfielder who won more game time last term could be ideal.

Leeds need players who can step up to the plate and play regularly if needed.

The Spurs man could potentially do that - but he wasn't one of the first names on the teamsheet last term and he would need to adapt to being a regular starter.

Someone who started regularly last term could adapt to a vital role at Elland Road more easily.

In saying that, missing out on Skipp would be a blow for the Whites.