full-back ranks could be significantly thinner come the end of the January transfer window. With less than a week gone, Djed Spence has already made an early return to Tottenham Hotspur after the decision was made to bring his season-long loan to an early end (BBC Sport).
And there could be another exit too as fellow Championship side Middlesbrough eye up a move for Luke Ayling (Sky Sports). Even if Ayling does stay beyond the January deadline, his long-term future is in serious doubt as he approaches the end of his contract at Elland Road in the summer.
Welshman Connor Roberts came through the youth ranks at Swansea and stayed at the club until 2021, when he made a £2.5m switch to Burnley (Sky Sports). He’s gone on to register 86 appearances for the Clarets, including 14 this season.
for Vincent Kompany’s newly-promoted side, and while that sounds like a considerable tally on paper, he’s recently fallen down the pecking order, failing to make the XI for any top-flight match since late October (Transfermarkt).
Leeds will hope that, in light of this decline, Burnley are willing to part company with Roberts in this window. According to Sunday Mirror Sports News Editor Darren Witcoop, Whites supporters should “keep an eye on” a “potential deal” to sign Roberts if indeed Ayling joins Middlesbrough. Leeds are “looking for a new full-back” after also moving on from Spence, and the Burnley man is emerging as a clear candidate.
