Ex-Leeds United and Liverpool men part of five-player exodus after Whites opt against £30m deal

Weston McKennie is one of five players Juventus are prepared to move on this summer following his six-month loan spell at Leeds United.

The 24-year-old made 19 appearances after arriving at Elland Road on loan in January but was part of just three wins as the Whites were relegated from the Premier League.

Fabrizio Romano reports Juve are seeking to offload their three midfielders who went out on loan last season with Denis Zakaria and Arthur Melo also set to leave the Serie A outfit. Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro are another two set to depart.

Melo spent last season on loan with Leeds’ then Premier League rivals Liverpool. He played just 13 minutes of senior football for the club.

When announcing McKennie’s move, Juventus confirmed there was €34.5m option for Leeds to buy the player, with a potential €4.5m in add-ons included. However, this has not been exercised as McKennie departed Elland Road following the club’s relegation.

According to Calciomercato, Galatasaray are aiming to sign the player. On Thursday night McKennie was sent off during a heated clash between the United States and Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final.

The USA won 3-0 to set up a final meeting with Canada. Four players were sent off during the game, with the match cut short by the referee following persistent homophobic chanting.

McKennie had his shirt ripped with Sergino Dest, Cesar Montes and Gerardo Arteaga also sent off as the game ended with each team having nine players on the field.

The ex-Leeds man was sent off for placing a hand on Jorge Sanchez’s neck as a melee ensued after Montes had lashed out at Folarin Balogun with a wild kick after the Arsenal man had ran past him.

“These are rivalry games. These are derby games. Things like this happen across the world and in no way am I embarrassed,” interim USA coach B.J. Callaghan said.

“It comes from a good place. They care about each other so much in that locker room that they’re standing up for each other. Sometimes does it have an issue where we take a red card? Yeah, but when you know where it comes from, you can accept it and it’s a learning lesson for us.”