Leeds United transfer news: Japanese World Cup hero emerges as target as Whites weigh up final-week options

Reports in Germany say the 24-year-old Japan international is a target for both clubs as the Whites face the prospect of being priced out of a move for Lewis O'Brien for the second time.

A move for Joseph Paintsil, who plays further forward, now appears dead in the water.

Having bolstered his frontline, midfield is an important focus for Daniel Farke ahead of Friday's 11pm transfer deadline.

Leeds have lost Tyler Adams, Marc Roca, Adam Forshaw and loanee Weston McKennie during this window and only brought in Ethan Ampadu to that department of the team, although 17-year-old Archie Gray has stepped up impressively into first-team football.

Tanaka plays in Bundesliga 2 for Fortuna Dusseldorf and after impressing at the last World Cup, where he scored Japan's controversial winning goal against Spain, he is looking to move on.

Bild has reported Leeds have followed up Stuttgart's rejected bid of around £2m including add-ons with a higher one of their own. The clubs are said to be in talks to reach an agreement.

O'Brien was a player Leeds looked closely at during the summer of 2021, but they were unable to reach agreement on a price with his then-club Huddersfield Town.

Twelve months later the now 24-year-old, who can play a variety of roles on the left but is most comfortable as a box-to-box central midfielder, moved to Nottingham Forest, only for them to quickly write him off.

They tried to move him to Blackburn Rovers on January's deadline day only for the move not to be completed in time. Left of Forest's Premier League squad list, he moved instead to DC United because Major League Soccer was working to a later transfer window.

Wayne Rooney was keen to keep him in the capital but he has returned to England, where Forest are reportedly looking for £10m for him. Leeds are said to be pushing for a loan with an obligation to buy if they win promotion.

Leeds are hoping to make three signings in the final week but may need others if there are late departures.

A right-back is another target, made even more pressing by an injury to Sam Byram at Ipswich Town.

With Farke more equivocal about the future of Luis Sinisterra last week than he was Willy Gnonto, Leeds are also monitoring the market for wingers and had been thought to be looking at Genk's Joseph Paintsil, who would also offer cover at centre-forward.

However the right winger is said to have told his club he does not want to leave in this window.