Leeds United were dealt a crushing blow on Thursday evening.

Unfortunately, it wasn't for the first time this window either.

They were knocked back three times in their attempts to prise Ben White away from Brighton and then they were too far apart with Udinese in their valuation of Rodrigo de Paul.

However, what happened with Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Cuisance almost defies belief.

The player had agreed personal terms and the two clubs had even settled on a fee that would be paid for the Frenchman. He was as good as through the door.

However, speculation was cast when Marcelo Bielsa refused to go into detail about the move during his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon. "I don’t want to repeat the episode with Dan James," he said.

Lo and behold, just hours later, the move had collapsed. Cuisance failed his medical and after advice from Leeds' head of medicine, Rob Price, they decided against signing him. 

Michael Cuisance

Where Leeds look to head next in the market is anyone's guess. Victor Orta will have to gather his thoughts and go again.

Although he isn't a midfielder and thus, an alternative to Cuisance, it appears as though they'll target a defender in the shape of Stephen Ambrosius. 

That's according to reputable journalist Jonas Giaevara. He took to Twitter to reveal the following news

"Hamburg defender Stephan Ambrosius is a player that seemingly has brought a lot of attention. According to what I hear, Leeds United have shown interest and have been in contact with Hamburg regarding the player who can still represent Germany or Ghana." 

No price is mentioned but via Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old is rated at just £315,000. 

Stephan Ambrosius

GIVEMESPORT'S Matt Dawson says...

For a long period of time it looked as though Leeds really wanted to sign a young centre-half this summer.

Josko Gvardiol was the name that had been touted but he eventually joined Leipzig before heading back to Dinamo Zagreb on loan. 

Aged 18, he was seen as one for the future, but after missing out on him, it looks as though they've identified Ambrosius instead.

The issue is that he's only played one match for the Hamburg first-team. He appeared for the reserves in the German fourth-tier last season so is relatively unproven and considering he's now 21, you'd surely want to be investing in a player with more first-team minutes under their belt.

Struijk and Salah

After all, Leeds already have young Dutchman Pascal Struijk at their disposal. Despite the arrivals of Robin Koch and Diego Llorente, he could play a decent role in the squad this season.

He appeared regularly in pre-season and also got the chance to prove himself on the opening weekend against Liverpool when Liam Cooper was out injured.

Signing Ambrosius, therefore, would surely hinder Struijk. Orta needs to work out who would be the better option going forward.