Phil Hay has claimed there is no lack of optimism emerging out of Leeds United when it comes to landing Georginio Rutter.

The Lowdown: Leeds looking to act fast

Leeds moved quickly to hand Jesse Marsch a new left-back in the form of Maximilian Wober, and they certainly don't appear to be slowing down with links to Rutter currently rife.

Rutter was omitted from his duties with Hoffenheim recently amid interest from Leeds, which would suggest that the player is keen on the move and something is on the cards between the two clubs.

It has been reported that Leeds could have to shell out around £35.3m, which would be a new club-record fee, surpassing the sum they paid for Rodrigo back in the summer of 2020.

The Latest: Rutter could be the next arrival

Hay has been speaking on The Phil Hay Show about what he's been told about Leeds' pursuit of Rutter, who has been hailed as a 'monster', and how people within the club aren't short of optimism this month.

He said: "From speaking to people late last night [Sunday], there was work to do on it, but there wasn't an absence of optimism that it could happen.

"There's always a difference between deals which seemed fairly unrealistic and deals which you think could be done, and this seems to me to be one that could be done.

"Essentially, if Leeds put up the money, then there's no reason why it shouldn't happen."

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The Verdict: Huge deal could push Leeds forward

Despite being just 20, Rutter has a lot of first-team experience under his belt and boasts a reasonable goal involvement record with five to his name this season, so it appears that Leeds are looking to buy Rutter as a prospect for the present as well as the future.

However, given his age, it's a lot of pressure to put on his shoulders with such a hefty price tag and also the fact that Leeds could be relying on someone so young to help fire them away from the threat of relegation.

What will be encouraging, though, is that their board are looking to move quickly in January to allow Marsch as much time as possible to integrate his new signings and get them to gel with the squad to ensure they have as much of an impact as possible this season.