Victor Orta and Marcelo Bielsa face growing resistance to their efforts in landing Fenerbahce’s Michael Frey, as DH understand the 6 ft 2 striker has his concerns about joining Leeds.
Reports from sources abroad recently suggested the 24-year-old had emerged as one of the many players the United hierarchy are interested in, but noted that club chiefs would continue to press the Premier League loan market first, before venturing out onto the continent and beyond.
It was also never suggested whether Frey was being lined up as a loan deal, or whether Orta was sounding out the possibilities of Fenerbahce cashing in on their centre-forward, just a year after they spent north of £2million to lure him away from FC Zurich.
Not that it would matter either way, though, as Frey has indicated a strong reluctance to make the step down from the Super Lig to the Championship, as he feels the second-tier of English football would not be the best location for his continued development.
Instead, he would prefer the chance to move to the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, where RSC Anderlecht and KRC Genk have been heavily tracking his situation, after being informed a move would set them back at least €4million (£3.5m).
Genk are also thought to be the most likely outfit to secure Frey’s services should he move on this summer, despite the son-in-law of Anderlecht’s Technical Director Frank Arnesen spending the past year with the uncapped Switzerland international at Fenerbahce.
Frey featured in just 16% of Ersun Yanal’s Super Lig starting XI’s during the 2018/19 term, in which he scored a goal every 204 minutes for a total of three in 14 games – adding a further two in five Europa League appearances.