Leeds United transfers as 'enquiry' made for midfielder likened to 305-game Aston Villa star ahead of January
Leeds United aren’t the only Premier League team to have been linked with interest in the Hibs star.
Leeds United are reportedly interested in a Scottish midfielder who has been likened to Aston Villa’s John McGinn.
Josh Mulligan is attracting interest from the Premier League during what is an excellent individual campaign at Scottish Premiership outfit Hibernian. The tenacious midfielder has featured in all 22 of his side’s games across all competitions this season, starting 21 while registering two goals and three assists.
The Edinburgh Evening News relay a Daily Mail report Leeds and Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest have made ‘initial enquiries’ regarding the 23-year-old, whose performance in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Falkirk earned huge praise from his own boss. Hibs head coach David Gray said Mulligan ‘led by example’ and is ’playing at a very high level’.
Elland Road chiefs are believed to have ‘checked in’ on Mulligan’s progress and Hibs’ stance on a potential sale. Forest are believed to be further along with their interest, according to the report, with their own midfielder Elliot Anderson expected to attract January bids worth north of £100million.
Mulligan is under contract at Easter Road until 2029 but the Daily Mail suggest Hibs would be ‘vulnerable to suitable offers’. Having recently earned a call-up to the Scotland national team, the midfielder’s hope of heading to the 2026 World Cup could also be boosted by a move to the Premier League.
Leeds are expected to at least give serious consideration to the prospect of recruiting in January, despite managing director Robbie Evans insisting in September the club were right at the limit of their three-year maximum losses regarding PSR. A creative right-winger had been their main position to target in the summer but a change of formation could also alter their priorities.
Leeds United transfer target likened to John McGinn
With reports of growing interest in Mulligan, it feels likely the midfielder will be Hibs’ next big-money exit and could follow another former Easter Road favourite in heading south of the Scottish border. McGinn left the Scottish Premiership outfit for Aston Villa in 2023 and has remained a crucial part of their steady climb into Europe, playing 305 games across all competitions for the Villains.
Mulligan shares many of the same traits as McGinn, including a tenacious work-rate and willingness to do lots of the dirty work, and he’s recently earned comparisons to the Villa star from his own teammates. Hibs forward Martin Boyle likened the pair to one another following last weekend’s convincing win over Falkirk.
"He brought his game to a new level,” Boyle told the Hibs Observer. “He took the game by the scruff of the neck. He keeps driving at people. I think he got about four people booked! He's another player with those John McGinn vibes – head down, runs through people. It's great to see.
“He can move people around. He just tucks his head into his shoulders and off he goes. His balance is incredible; just the way he's faster with the ball than he is without it, probably the way John was. So yeah, it's a threat to have. He can only get better – much better, I believe.
“He's a threat. I think with more consistency and adding a little bit more goals – I think he got an assist today, but if he can add more goals to his game, then I don't see why not. He'll move on."