According to the latest reports from the Daily Mail as cited by Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United are one of the clubs interested in signing Leyton Orient’s centre back Dan Happe. The Sun recently reported that Tottenham had a bid of £300,000 turned down for the young defender. Clubs like Leicester City and Norwich are also said to be interested in this 20-year-old centre back.
The defender has just one year left in his contract with the League Two outfit, but Leyton Orient wants to have him back on a season-long loan after striking a deal for him. Happe made 20 appearances in the National League last season, and he seemingly caught the eye of quite a few top clubs.
Leeds United’s defensive problems
The Whites are likely seeing him as an option for the u-23 team. Leeds United are facing a bit of a concern at the back even though they recently secured the signing of Ben White from Brighton on a season-long loan. The Whites recently sold Aapo Halme permanently to Barnsley for an undisclosed fee. The young Finnish defender might not have made much impact last season in the first team, but he looked like a promising backup option to have.
But the biggest concern for the Yorkshire club is that Pontus Jansson’s future looks uncertain. Bielsa and the big defender reportedly had a row, and reports from the Sun mentions that the Swedish international has been banned from training at Thorp Arch. It is yet not clear what would happen next, but things don’t look right.
It seems like the Whites want to replace Halme with Happe in the reserve side. The defender is known for his on the ball qualities, and that is one the reasons why top clubs like Spurs and Leicester are also after him.
However, from United’s point of view, it doesn’t make much sense when they already had an upcoming talent like Halme at their disposal. Maybe Barnsley’s offer was too good to ignore, and the Whites sold him for a decent profit?
Can the Whites sign Happe?
Leeds United will want to bring in a defender for this season, but Leyton are looking to hold on to their prized asset as they want to have him back on loan. Therefore it remains to be seen whether the Whites will accept this ploy. Moreover, the club needs to move in quick if they want to bring the defender as Spurs have already made an offer which was rejected. The chances of the Whites signing the 20-year-old looks slim at the moment with top Premier League clubs interested.
