Leeds United have reportedly been pipped in an alleged pursuit of AS Roma player Edoardo Bove, according to reports in Italy.

The 22-year-old was supposedly the subject of a negotiations between club officials and the player's intermediary earlier this week, as per Il Tempo, however Leeds' budgetary constraints following their failure to win promotion back to the Premier League appears to have hindered them in their efforts to bring the midfielder to Elland Road.

Bove, instead, could end up signing for Premier League side Everton, according to Gianluca Di Marzio, although that is far from guaranteed given the Merseyside club's well-documented financial troubles of late. A move would be all the more likely if Everton were to be taken over by American billionaire Dan Friedkin who is also majority shareholder at Stadio Olimpico and said to be in talks over taking charge at Goodison Park.

The Italian played 45 times across all competitions for Roma last term, featuring alongside on-loan Leeds duo Diego Llorente and Rasmus Kristensen, scoring one goal and registering two assists from the base of midfield.

This summer, Leeds are thought to be in the market for a midfield profile that can contribute goals to Daniel Farke's lineup given Ethan Ampadu, Archie Gray, Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev all failed to hit the back of the net during the regular Championship season last year.