Leeds United will return with another offer for Everton defender Ben Godfrey after seeing their initial approach rejected, according to Football Insider.
The Whites are determined to strengthen their squad before the end of the transfer window on Wednesday night. Godfrey emerged as a target last week after falling out of favour at Goodison Park.
The 26-year-old has been limited to just one Premier League start for Sean Dyche’s team this season as the former Burnley manager has opted for a centre-back pairing of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite. As such, the two-time England international has been heavily tipped for a move away from Merseyside this month.
Dyche is said to be keen to offload the ex-Norwich City man to free up wages within his squad and he has attracted interest from across the continent. Italian sides AC Milan, Genoa and Atalanta have all been linked, as have Everton’s relegation rivals Sheffield United.
Leeds are on the prowl for top quality talents to add to their squad as they continue to target promotion from the Championship. With both Leicester City and Ipswich Town steaming ahead in the race for a top two finish in the opening stages of the season, Daniel Farke recovered from a slow start to cement the West Yorkshire side in the play-off places. However, the Tractor Boys have faltered in recent weeks, opening up an opportunity for both Southampton and Leeds to gate crash the party.
Godfrey is a player with bags of experience at both Championship and Premier League level and would represent somewhat of a coup for the second tier outfit. It is claimed that a loan offer was submitted over the weekend.
This approach has been rejected as the Toffees look to offload the defender on a permanent basis, and Football Insider claim that Leeds will return with another offer before the end of the transfer window.
There has yet to be any arrivals thus far this month at Elland Road. However, there impressive form has continued since the turn of the year, recording four successive wins to move within two points of Ipswich. They travel to Bristol City on Friday night in a game which could see them temporarily move into the automatic promotion spots.
Writer’s View
Leeds have been biding their time this month and have also had to wait to free up some space within their squad before making any moves. It looks as if Leo Hjelde is set to complete is move to Sunderland this week, which will allow Daniel Farke to bring in new recruits.
Ben Godfrey is an exceptionally talented defender that belongs in the Premier League. He has been unfortunate due to the emergence of Branthwaite, plus having to compete with a Sean Dyche favourite in James Tarkowski. Leeds could be the ideal club to rebuild his career, whilst hopefully returning to the top tier in the summer.
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