It appears like Leeds United will lose out on a major transfer target to Southampton, an automatic promotion contender.
Up until now, the Whites have been content to exercise patience while observing the loan market in England’s top division, but at this juncture, their approach is coming under intense scrutiny.
David Brooks of Bournemouth will not be joining Leeds at Elland Road; the team has yet to make a single acquisition this month and has just three more days to do so.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Brooks will go through a physical today at Southampton after they and Bournemouth came to an agreement about his season-long loan.
Both Brooks and Manuel Benson were targets for Leeds and Southampton, but as the former appears to be off the market, Leeds has no reason to back out of a deal for Benson.
Leeds must now finalize the Benson deal.
After fresh negotiations with Burnley, reports surfaced over the weekend suggesting Southampton had been in the lead in the hunt for Benson. That is not the case, though, as a deal to sign Brooks is practically complete.
Journalist Sacha Tavolieri reports that Southampton had withdrawn from talks with the Clarets due to some peculiar demands they made about a potential sum for Benson.
That shouldn’t be shocking considering the tense dynamics between the two teams after Burnley’s summertime attempt to sign former loanee Nathan Tella was unsuccessful.
Benson, though, is a player Leeds has also discussed with this month. Up until last week, the Whites had been pressing for a deal, but Southampton was at the front of the line.
Leeds now has no justification for failing to complete a deal for Benson because that is no longer the case. Leeds needs a player with the exact profile of a left-footed right winger in the squad.
The 26-year-old played a significant role in Burnley’s Championship title-winning season the previous year, and Leeds would fall far behind Southampton if they were unable to acquire him after losing out on Brooks.
