Leeds United have registered an interest in signing Arsenal defender Rob Holding, as they continue to search for a new central defensive signing, a report from Football Insider has claimed.
With the club yet to agree a deal to bring Ben White back to Elland Road from Brighton, and Gaetano Berardi out for several months with injury and out of contract, the Whites are in need of a new centre back to partner Liam Cooper when the Premier League season resumes in just over three weeks time.
According to the latest reports, one player who has emerged as a potential candidate to fill that role is Holding, with Arsenal said to have told Leeds that the 24-year-old will be available for a move this summer.
The centre back started just six league games for Arsenal last season, although he does have three years remaining on his current deal at The Emirates Stadium, putting the Gunners in a strong position to negotiate any offers that come in for the defender, who is valued at £8.55million by Transfermarkt.
It is thought that for now at least, Holding remains a backup option to White for Leeds, but as a young centre back who has yet to peak in his career, the Arsenal man is someone who meets the specifications of Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa’s preferred targets.
With so much attention around Leeds’ return to the Premier League, and indeed the future of Ben White, there was always going to be plenty of centre backs linked with Elland Road this summer.
This one however, feels like it is well worth looking into, Holding already knows the Premier League well from his time in the division with Arsenal, and you feel he will want to prove a point if he is shown the door by the Gunners in the next few months.
Indeed, the 24-year-old has always been a reasonably reliable presence at The Emirates, so he could do just the same for Leeds, meaning the big question could be around price, with so long remaining on his contract with Arsenal.