Leeds United transfers as winger gives 'green light' to Whites and Sunderland talks and midfielder returns

Leeds United are set to be boosted by the return of a highly-rated midfielder during the January transfer window.

Several Whites players have spent the first half of the Premier League season out on loan and it would be safe to say they have experienced contrasting fortunes during their time away from Elland Road. For academy graduate Charlie Crew, the season has been one of frustration as a promising start to a second loan stint at Doncaster Rovers gave way to limiting involvement within Grant McCann’s side.

The twice-capped Wales international started in Rovers first two games of their return to League One but has made just three further starts in the third tier and McCann has confirmed both Crew and on-loan Blackburn Rovers defender Connor O’Riordan will return to their parent clubs after the turn of the year.

He told the Rovers official website: “Connor has been outstanding. The remit for loans is for a player to help us and help himself. There is always the possibility that if it goes well then he’ll be recalled and that's been the case with Connor. I fully expect him to go back and be in Blackburn’s team. That tells me the loan has been successful.

“The two young lads, they need to play football and they probably haven’t played the amount of football they feel they need. Our remit here is to let them go and play and we’ll look to replace. Charlie has been stop-start and the international breaks haven’t helped him, going away two or three times. He probably hasn’t got to the levels that I thought he would do and that he showed last year.”

La Liga star gives ‘green light’ to Leeds and Sunderland talks

Leeds United, Sunderland and Bournemouth are all reportedly keen on a move for a Switzerland international that has impressed in La Liga this season.

TEAMtalk have reported intermediaries are ‘active in talks’ with a number of clubs over a possible move for Sevilla winger Ruben Vargas and have named Leeds, Bournemouth and Sunderland as possible interested parties. The same report also states the 27-year-old winger, who has three goals and four assists in 11 league appearances this season, has already given the ‘green light’ to a possible move to the Premier League during the January transfer window - although Whites boss Daniel Farke has already hinted he could find it difficult to add to his squad in the first month of the new year.

Speaking about what could lie ahead in January, Farke said: “I think in general it is a difficult market because there's just a limited number of players available. Also in January, you just have more or less just four months left [of the season]. If you sign a player in the summer, you have the whole summer and pre-season to prepare and to adapt and integrate them into the group, and to your style of play and to your processes.

“It is always a bit more difficult in January because you either get a player where there is quite often a problem because he hasn't played that much, or comes back from injury. Or if you want a player who is in his best rhythm, then you have to spend lots of money, and very often the players are overpriced. So I'm especially very picky, also in January.”

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