Leeds eye January bid for Super Eagles fullback Ola Aina as part of European qualification drive

ENGLISH Premier league giants Leeds United are stepping up plans to sign Super Eagles defender Ola Aina as a leftback during the forthcoming January transfer window as a replacement for Spanish international Junior Firpo.

For most of the current season, Firpo, 26, has been out injured but now that he has returned to full fitness, his form has been way short of what it was last season.

Dutch centreback Pascal Struijk has thus had to fill in for Firpo out on the left but with the transfer window now set to open, Leeds are hoping to correct this anomaly.

Come January, Leeds are being strongly linked with a move for Torino and Nigeria left-back Aina amid talk that the club may let go of Firpo. Aina, 26, who has spent the last four years on the books at Torino, left Chelsea in 2019 and he has since clocked up 103 outings for the Serie A club, despite even going on loan to Fulham in 2020/21.

Aina, who has 29 Nigerian caps is out of contract at the end of the season but Torino are desperately trying to keep him in Italy. Firpo was brought to Leeds  at the start of last season but the ex-Barcelona man has failed to live up to the initial hype, suffering a number of injuries and now he finds himself playing second fiddle to Struijk.

While Struijk is not the long-term answer on the left, he has been excellent during the first part of the season. Even with Firpo fit, Struijk is keeping him out of the side, so, if Leeds go and sign a left-back, he is third choice.

Aina on the other hand impressed at Fulham during that season-long loan in 2020/21, so would be a great purchase in January. If he joins Leeds, this would allow Struijk to return to his preferred position of centreback.

Leeds needs to strengthen their defence as the team is currently sitting in mid table despite a bright start to the season. Once touted as possible title challengers, Leeds slid down the table  because their defence was leaking goals but the team will hope that January defensive reinforcements will at least enable it qualify for Europe.