Leeds United’s pursuit of Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien ‘has got real legs’, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The 23-year-old was on the radar of the west Yorkshire outfit last summer before he committed his future to his boyhood club but could finally be on the move over the coming months.

What is the latest news involving O’Brien?

A recent report from The Sun revealed that Leeds manager Jesse Marsch is planning a renewed attempted to prise O’Brien away from Huddersfield.

It’s believed that the Terriers were planning on offering the engine room operator a new contract if they won promotion the Premier League despite him penning a four-year deal as recently as September.

However, Huddersfield lost to Nottingham Forest in the Championship play-off final and now appear set to lose O’Brien as well, who has a £10 million release clause.

The versatile ace has been one of the second-tier’s standout performers over the last couple of campaigns and now seems set to make the step up to the top-flight.

What has O’Rourke said about O’Brien?

O’Rourke believes Leeds’ interest in O’Brien could see him make the switch to Elland Road ahead of next season following a lengthy pursuit for his signature.

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In an interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “I think this one has got real legs, and you could see Leeds moving for him.

“It was a real blow for Huddersfield to miss out on promotion to the Premier League, and it's going to make it really hard for them now to keep hold of Lewis O’Brien, who does have a release clause in his contract as well.”

How good is O’Brien?

Huddersfield boss Carlos Corberan has spoken glowingly of O’Brien, who earns £8,000-per-week, on a number of occasions during his time in the John Smith’s Stadium hot seat.

“Some players limit themselves when you move them, O’Brien is one player who will never limit himself because he is motivated to compete in every single space, in every single moment, in every single minute of the season,” said Corberan.

“He does it all with a level of humility that means he is going to be an exceptional player, and he is never going to stop growing.”

And his underlying numbers back up this glowing praise as O’Brien averaged 2.1 tackles, one key pass and 2.1 dribbles per league game last term, as per WhoScored.

Those figures placed him in the top two for each metric when compared to his teammates and illustrate the qualities he would bring to Leeds at both ends of the pitch.