Leeds interested in Leicester City defender Luke Thomas

Leeds United are pursuing defensive reinforcements and have turned their attention towards Leicester City’s Luke Thomas, per The Athletic. 

Leeds have made two formal approaches for the 22-year-old full-back during this transfer window to bolster their backline.

The urgency for defensive reinforcement comes after Sam Byram’s unfortunate injury during Leeds’ nail-biting 4-3 victory over Ipswich Town last Saturday.

Although discussions around bringing Thomas to Elland Road seem to gravitate towards a temporary arrangement, Leicester are not keen on facilitating a loan deal to a direct Championship rival.

Thomas has been an integral part of Leicester’s first team since his debut in 2020, bagging two goals and five assists in 85 appearances.

However, Thomas has been on the fringes of the squad this season.

He has warmed the bench as an unused substitute in three of their four Championship fixtures and could look to move elsewhere in search of game time.

Leeds are also negotiating with Tottenham Hotspur for English defender Djed Spence on a season-long loan. 

The 23-year-old right-back has struggled at Tottenham since his acquisition last summer, making only six appearances since his arrival.

Spence’s journey took him on a loan spell to Stade Rennais during the latter part of last season, but he made only eight appearances in Ligue 1. 

Emerson Royal and Pedro Porro are ahead of him in the pecking order. A scarcity of game time during pre-season and a surplus of competition has paved the way for potential departure. 

Tottenham are reshaping their squad and facilitating exits for surplus players ahead of Friday’s transfer window closure.

Apart from Thomas and Spence, the Championship club are trying to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacker Nadiem Amiri. 

They are also in talks with Genk to sign Southampton target Joseph Paintsil.