Leeds United transfer deadline day state of play and Emi Buendía chances rated with hours left

Leeds United - quiet on the surface and going hell for leather under the water like a duck, or preparing to be sitting ducks?

Transfer deadline day can bring all manner of madness to player trading as urgency gives way to panic - not that any club will ever admit to it - but Leeds have genuine reason to be frantically at work. The final bits of recruitment Daniel Farke has talked about are more than simple window dressing, they could be key to survival. We're into the last seven hours of the summer window and Leeds are at least one, arguably two attackers light. So here's the state of play.

What do Leeds United still need?

Attackers. Last week they saw their key vacancy on the right wing but were looking for a player who could also play inside. They thought they had that player when a deal with Facundo Buonanotte was close. They even booked a flight with his name on it. Then they were informed he was off to Chelsea. A winger and a 10 would be an ideal scenario but the word ideal was left behind in last week. We are no longer in ideal territory.

What has Farke said?

The German made it very, very clear on Saturday night that the squad was incomplete. And when pressed further, he admitted survival will be 'difficult' if they do not strengthen the offensive options.

"I like to be honest and open and not play any games," he said. "Like we all mentioned, we were transparent as a club, we want to try everything to give us the best possible squad. Everyone wants to add some more quality players, not just numbers, a bit of what we don't have. Quality is the best thing to give us the best possible chance. It will be difficult [if we don't]. We have to try everything to the last hour of the window and then we'll see what the outcome is and go from there."

We are now in the last hours of the window. The outcome could go a long way to deciding how much of a fist Leeds can make of survival. Should they not give Farke what he needs, he will be able to point to that fact in any period of adversity for his squad and it won't be an excuse. It will be fact.

Is anything close?

When it comes to previously-reported targets, the news is bleak. Bilal El Khannouss is close to completing a move to cash-rich Stuttgart after they sold Nick Woltemade to Newcastle United. Buonanotte is off to Chelsea. If Dilane Bakwa goes anywhere it's most likely to be Nottingham Forest. He scored an absolute beauty yesterday, too. Eduard Spertsyan looks set to stay put at Krasnodar until January at least. Nico González went to Atlético Madrid. Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad never came into an achievable price bracket. Christantus Uche is to join Crystal Palace. Gustavo Hamer has never been a firm target this summer and PSV have been hovering anyway. Even Manor Solomon is rated as highly unlikely. And last we checked the chances of a late swoop for Emi Buendia were slim. Things could change on that one. Things could change for a small number targets but not many and the ticking clock is against Leeds now.

So who can they get then? Are we now in promising Premier League youngsters on loan territory? Leeds United say they are working on a couple of possibilities but let's have it right, if something isn't close by now then there is a real degree of difficulty involved because of the time constraints. Players on the continent would have to be getting on planes soon to have any chance of a successful medical. Even UK based players would be rushing to complete a deal if something suddenly fell into place. You can never say never, of course. There is still time to do something, just about.

Might 7pm come and go without an arrival?

It's certainly possible. But it would be baffling for Leeds to find themselves in that position. It would cast the time spent on a fruitless pursuit of Igor Paixão and the strategy of attempting to bring in ambitious attacking targets in a not-so-kind light. Early on in the window when unfavourable comparisons were being made to Sunderland's work, Leeds insisted they would stick to a plan and it would become evident. That was true, for a time. The plan might not work but you could see what they were doing with the defensive signings, the midfielders and the goalkeeper. The plan has been far from clear when it comes to attackers. Players they liked have too often had better options on the table. So much time has come and gone without the additions Farke has been calling for. The final third is where they look meek by Premier League standards.

And right now they're once again being compared, unfavourably, to Sunderland. The Black Cats lost Marc Guiu to a Chelsea recall on Sunday night and by Monday morning had a replacement lined up in the form of Ajax striker Brian Brobbey. If you want an example of agility in the transfer market, look no further. Leeds have not yet been able to demonstrate that ability when it comes to Farke's vacancies.

Will anyone be leaving today?

Darko Gyabi on a permanent deal to Hull City looks set to go through. How the deal is structured will be interesting because Hull City are working under an embargo when it comes to fees. A £5m signing from Manchester City, Gyabi came with plenty of promise and has hardly had a sniff at Leeds. A disappointing one, to say the least.

Illan Meslier is wanted by Lorient and could yet make a deadline day exit from Elland Road. It's difficult to blame Leeds for taking so long to shift the keeper, given how his last couple of seasons have gone. The YEP understands the Frenchman expected to depart this summer and it has not been a case of digging his heels in. There just hasn't been the right deal on the table. Until now, perhaps, at the very last minute.