Journalist Pete O'Rourke has claimed Leeds United are probably out of the running to sign Norwich City forward Todd Cantwell and Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara.
Marcelo Bielsa's charges have been linked to several players in the January transfer window, but their limited budget has severely restricted their activity so far.
What is the latest news involving Leeds?
Leeds have spent over £150 million on transfers since returning to the Premier League for the 2020/21 season following a 16-year absence, with the likes of Raphinha, Dan James and Rodrigo all arriving in big-money moves.
However, Bielsa is often reluctant to do business in the winter window and has reportedly already been informed that the club will not be able to make any permanent acquisitions this month.
According to a report by Football Insider, Leeds are only able to make loan signings due to financial fair play restrictions and cannot afford to spend large sums on any deals without significant outgoings.
That leaves Bielsa with very little room to maneuver in January. The west Yorkshire outfit are believed to be targetting engine room reinforcements due to Kalvin Phillips' injury, yet their options are now very limited.
Cantwell - who is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt - and Kamara - who has a £22.5m valuation - appear to be out of Leeds' reach, meaning they may need to move onto other targets.
What has O'Rourke said about Cantwell and Kamara?
Both players are expected to imminently depart their current clubs after entering the final six months of their contracts, although Norwich have the option to extend Cantwell's by a year.
Nevertheless, it seems as though Elland Road will not be the destination for either man, with O'Rourke skeptical over their availability on temporary deals.
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He told GiveMeSport: “You can probably rule out Todd Cantwell because Norwich aren’t going to loan him out. Boubacar Kamara, Marseille aren’t going to loan him out either.”
Who could Leeds sign instead?
Due to their contract situations, loaning Cantwell and Kamara out would make very little sense for Norwich or Marseille, but Leeds may have more luck with other available midfielders.
A report by TEAMtalk back in November indicated that Chelsea's fringe star Ross Barkley was of interest to the Whites and that a loan deal with an option to buy was favoured.
The 27-year-old has struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge this season, starting just twice in all competitions, but has put in some admirable displays, earning a FotMob rating of 6.88.
Only time will tell if Bielsa makes a move for Barkley, but he could prove to be a solid solution to Leeds' midfield woes.
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