The transfer link Leeds United 'shut down' amid Bundesliga speculation

There have been just two departures from Leeds United during the January transfer window as the Whites have continued to focus on adding to their squad before Monday’s 7pm deadline.

Jack Harrison became the first member of Daniel Farke’s ranks to leave the club when he agreed to spend the remainder of the season on loan with Serie A strugglers Fiorentina and that deal could become a permanent switch at the end of the campaign. Highly-rated young striker Harry Gray also made a temporary move away from Elland Road as he landed a loan deal to League One side Rotherham United and the 17-year-old frontman notched his first senior goal for the Millers as they saw off Northampton Town in midweek.

Joel Piroe has been strongly linked with a move in recent weeks and the likes of Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough have been suggested as possible suitors for the forward - but the news that Whites target Jorgen Strand Larsen is close to joining Crystal Palace means Piroe is increasingly likely to remain with Leeds until the end of the season.

Sebastiaan Bornauw is another player that has been linked with a number of clubs and Bundesliga outfit Mainz were said to be keen on a move to take the defender back to Germany after he joined Leeds in a cut-price deal from Wolfsburg during the summer transfer window.

The four-times capped Belgium international has struggled to earn regular game-time so far this season and has made just three Premier League starts. However, they have all come over the last month and there are signs a more promising future could lie ahead for the former Koln and Anderlecht man. The YEP’s Graham Smyth has given an insight into how Leeds view Bornauw’s future and explained why a move is not likely to be authorised before Monday’s transfer deadline.

What has Graham Smyth said about Sebastiaan Bornauw’s Leeds United future?

Speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast, he said: “There was interest in Sebastian Bornauw this month from Germany. I believe Mainz was one of those teams that was looking at him quite keenly, which almost surprised me in a way because maybe it's because he hasn't played and maybe it's clubs that missed out on him in the summer coming back in and thinking, maybe it's almost like a little Buonanotte thing that they were playing on thinking you've not played that much at Leeds. But he hasn't played that much at Leeds out of injury, not just out of selection, and he has got in when he's been fit and played some minutes and looked pretty solid. We'll talk about Everton, but he's been pretty solid. But Leeds shut that shut that all down very quickly, because for obvious reasons, they would not be minded to sell a centre-back this month.”

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