Leeds wanted to bring Eddie Nketiah back to Elland Road (Image: GETTY)
Leeds looked into re-signing Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal before the 23-year-old agreed terms over a new contract in north London, according to reports. The Whites are now beginning to crank up their summer transfer business having already brought USMNT international Brenden Aaronson through the door from RB Salzburg and it appears Nketiah was one of the players firmly on their radar.
The Lewisham-born frontman spent the first half of the 2019/20 season on loan in Yorkshire before returning to Arsenal due to a lack of game time under Marcelo Bielsa.
Nketiah notched five times in 19 outings but most of his appearances came from the bench with Patrick Bamford preferred in attack.
Now just over two years on, the tables have turned and Nketiah has started to showcase his quality to prove he can cut it in the Premier League.
According to The Athletic, Leeds were keen to bring him back to Elland Road as they monitored his contract situation from afar.
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The central midfielder has been excellent on loan at Nottingham Forest this season and looks set to play Premier League football whatever happens from August.
Forest would ideally like to keep him on loan for another season but there is also interest from elsewhere, including Leeds.
Erik ten Hag would like to assess the 21-year-old in pre-season before deciding his future but Elland Road could potentially be an option for Garner.
Leeds' transfer plans could largely be centred around the futures of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, who both could move on before the start of the new campaign.
Leeds made an enquiry for Manchester United's James Garner (Image: GETTY)
Phillips is attracting interest from Manchester City and Manchester United but is unlikely to sign for the Red Devils due to his affiliation to Leeds.
Meanwhile, there is strong interest from Barcelona in Raphinha as his agent Deco continues to work on a deal.
Leeds are reluctant to lose their Brazilian magician on the cheap though and they will demand a premium for the player.
Raphinha had a £21m relegation clause in his contract that was scrapped following Leeds' survival.