Leeds reporter silences Fabrizio Romano in mic-drop moment as £13m deal for Austrian attacker goes up in smoke | OneFootball

Claims made by Fabrizio Romano that Leeds United are in talks over a €15m deal to sign Werder Bremen’s attacking midfielder Romano Schmid have been emphatically dismissed by a well-informed reporter – while the Whites’ next target this month has also been identified.

Daniel Farke’s side continued their fine recent form by ending Fulham’s unbeaten six-match run, with a 1-0 victory at Elland Road on Saturday, though the win only arrived late through the outstretched boot of Lukas Nmecha. That victory means Leeds United have now lost just once in 10 games across all competitions, and maintains their eight-point advantage over West Ham in 18th.

That feel-good factor at Leeds was also enhanced last week when the Whites managed to bring in Brighton playmaker Facundo Buonanotte at the second time of asking; the two-times capped Argentina international cancelled his loan at Chelsea to join the West Yorkshire side for the remainder of the current campaign.

Per our sources, Leeds have already learned their chances of a permanent deal for the 21-year-old and how much the Seagulls would likely demand for his transfer.

Despite the arrival of Buonanotte, Romano claimed on Sunday evening that Leeds were also in the market to bring in a second attacking midfielder in the form of Werder Bremen star Schmid.

Posting on X at 5.54pm on Sunday January 18, Romano stated: ‘EXCL: Leeds United are in talks to sign Romano Schmid from Werder Bremen. Negotiations ongoing. Negotiations around €15m plus add-ons with LUFC keen, talks on.’

Interest from Leeds in Schmid was then backed up by Florian Plettenberg, who posted: ‘Leeds United are pushing to sign Romano Schmid. No agreement yet, but there is a realistic chance of a move before Deadline Day. Talks are ongoing. The fee is expected to be around €15 million + add-ons after Fabrizio Romano confirmed.’

However, less than 90 minutes after Romano’s post, the report was emphatically dismissed by the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, who made clear the club did have an interest in the £13m-rated Austria international, but ceased those links after getting the green light on Buonanotte.

Smyth posted on X at 7.16pm: ‘Leeds United were talking to and about Romano Schmid, but then signed Facundo Buonanotte. Haven’t spoken about attacking mids since then. Considered unlikely, unless something crazy/unforeseen occurs.’

Leeds transfer news: What other business might the Whites do this month?

Meanwhile, Smyth has also revealed Leeds are keen to add another striker to their mix this month to ease the workload on Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Whites’ recent switch to a 3-5-2 formation has seen the Whites utilise two men up front. And while Nmecha (who scored his fifth goal of the season on Saturday) and Calvert-Lewin (nine goals so far) have both performed well, a lack of cover for them both has left Farke having to utilise winger Noah Okafor in an unfamiliar central role.

Clearly, the Leeds manager does not trust last season’s top scorer, Joel Piroe – recently linked with moves to Celtic and Middlesbrough – meaning interest in adding another striker, if the price is right, does make sense.

Adding weight behind that, Smyth added: ‘Striker is where they’re most likely to strengthen, if they can.’

The Leeds boss has also indicated he is not yet done with additions this month, hinting more players could arrive before the window closes on Monday February 2 (7pm).

Speaking about his approach to adding more players to Leeds’ squad, the 49-year-old said: “I think it’s our responsibility. We’re working in the best league in the world. If we were to fall asleep and just close our eyes, it would not be the right choice. I think you have to weigh up options.

“Believe me, in the position we are in, Leeds United playing in the Premier League, playing attractive and also successful football – there are so many people who want to work for us, but we are pretty picky.”

He added: “If you’re in a team where everyone has got the feeling we’re in a healthy position, I think then it would be madness to change too much in key positions or to bring characters in who can also disrupt the whole energy or disrupt the direction of the team.

“Sometimes you want to disrupt [if going in] the wrong direction, but not if everyone has got the feeling we are moving in the right direction. For that, we are pretty careful and also picky in what we do because we all get the feeling we’re on a good path.”

Leeds latest: Strand Larsen signing hopes grow; Dutch defender wanted

One name on everyone’s lips right now with regards that new striker is Wolves’ frontman, Jorgen Strand Larsen.

TEAMtalk sources were the first to exclusively confirm that the Whites are one of the clubs that have been offered the chance to sign Wolves striker by intermediaries last week, with that link since confirmed by David Ornstein.

And while a move to bring the Norway international to Elland Road is far from straightforward, the fact that his agent was in attendance for Saturday’s win over the Cottagers does add fuel to the fire.

In other news, the Whites continue to be described by sources as ‘frontrunners’ for the signing of a quality Dutch defender, with their chief rivals from the Bundesliga now targeting a former Leeds star instead.

Such a move would seriously benefit Leeds, too, with the West Yorkshire side due to earn a 15% cut of any transfer.

Elsewhere, Leeds United are confirmed admirers of a 19-year-old winger they now have the perfect chance to sign, with the player’s Chelsea career set to come to an end this month.