Blackburn Rovers are reportedly leading the race to sign Leeds United youngster Niall Huggins on a permanent basis, according to Football League World.Â
The lowdown
Huggins has made just one appearance in total for Leeds’ senior side over the years, and has found regular minutes tough to find in Marcelo Bielsa’s senior side in recent seasons.
Leeds won promotion into the Premier League in the 2019/20 season, and established themselves well into the top-flight, as they finished ninth in their first season back.
But as they prepare for the upcoming 2021/22 campaign, it seems as though they could be preparing for life without Huggins as the youngster has been unable to force his way into top flight football.
The latest
Football League World have revealed that Huggins is attracting interest from Blackburn Rovers, who are believed to be the frontrunners to land his signature this summer.
It is claimed that Tony Mowbray is hopeful of their transfer embargo being lifted in the near future, which could accelerate their plans to complete a deal to sign Huggins.
Leeds have already moved on some of their younger players, with the likes of Ryan Edmondson and Leif Davies being among those to depart Elland Road on a temporary basis.
The verdict
It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for Huggins, as it seems as though Bielsa doesn’t rate his chances of a place in his first-team squad very highly at this moment in time.
The youngster could certainly benefit from a loan spell as he looks to further his development in senior football, so it is a surprise to see him being linked with a permanent Elland Road exit this summer.
Speaking in an interview with MOT Leeds News back in June 2020, former Whites goalkeeper Paul Robinson issued high-praise for Huggins, and labelled him as a ‘very good player’, so perhaps Leeds could live to regret moving him on permanently if he can fulfil his potential later down the line.
But at this moment in time, you can understand their thinking behind this, and perhaps we will see a buy-back clause in any potential deal just in case he thrives elsewhere.
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