Sunderland have already sent transfer message to Leeds United over influential defender

The January transfer window is edging ever closer and it will be intriguing to see how active Leeds United are in the New Year. Although the Whites are missing a number of key players due to injury, boss Daniel Farke arguably still has the strongest squad at his disposal in the Championship.

A report in The Sunday Mirror has suggested Elland Road recruitment chiefs are interested in signing left-back Dennis Cirkin from promotion rivals Sunderland. The 22-year-old has been one of the Black Cats' standout performers this season.

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender moved to the Stadium of Light at the beginning of the 2021/22 season. He helped the club gain promotion back to the Championship under Alex Neil.

Injury problems troubled Cirkin in the following two campaigns but he has been a first team regular this term, featuring in every league match so far. He has amassed 91 appearances for the Wearside club, scoring six goals and registering five assists.

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The Sunday Mirror report states that it would be tricky for United to strike a deal with Sunderland for Cirkin, with the Black Cats believed to be reluctant to cash in on one of their prized assets come January. His present Black Cats contract runs until the summer of 2026.

When speaking to The Sunderland Echo last summer about the contracts of Cirkin and Dan Neil, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: “It’s [contracts for Neil and Cirkin] definitely on our radar. The thing with contracts is that you get some complete, and then there’s always other ones that start moving closer.

“It’s a little bit like painting the Forth Bridge in that respect. It’s a constant piece of work, and we’ve always tried to be on the front foot with that element of things. I think to get a Ballard, a Jobe and a Chris Rigg recommitted to the club was incredible for us considering their value to the team and performance level, and also their value from a financial perspective.

“We were really pleased that those boys felt they were comfortable committing themselves here. It’s a journey we continue to go on through, and we want to retain our best talent. I’ve said before that retaining talent is often harder than acquiring fresh talent, but we’ll continue to trying to do that and trying to make sure we keep ourselves in a really positive place with our squad composition.”

Since Daniel Farke's arrival in the summer of 2023, Junior Firpo has established himself as the Whites' first-choice left-back. His attacking qualities has given United extra penetration in the final third.

But there are doubts over Firpo's long term future. He and Sam Byram are in the final year of their United contracts.

Summer signing Isaac Schmidt can also be utilised at full-back. His game time has been limited since joining the club on deadline-day.