Leeds stance on Liam Cooper exit revealed as Blackburn make move; two Prem stars targeted in late window surge

Leeds star Liam Cooper will not be allowed to leave by Daniel Farke following a move by Blackburn
Leeds United have made their feelings clear on allowing Liam Cooper to leave the club this month after Blackburn launched a surprise move to sign the Whites skipper – while Daniel Farke is pushing hard to bring in two signings of his own from the Premier League.
The Whites have endured a frustratingly-quiet month on the arrivals front with Farke yet to add to his squad. And with the clock winding down towards Thursday’s 11pm deadline, work on bringing in fresh faces to boost Leeds‘ promotion push continues.
After letting Luke Ayling join Middlesbrough on loan, and having also sent Djed Spence back to Tottenham, the Whites are certainly lower on defensive options than they were heading into January.
And with Leo Hjelde also heading for Sunderland in a deal worth up to £2m, Leeds’ numbers are set to be depleted further.
As a result, Farke has made clear that Leeds have no intention of letting any of their other players move on – and that includes club captain Cooper.
The 32-year-old – now in his 10th season at Elland Road – is the club’s longest-serving player, having joined in a £700,000 move from Chesterfield in summer 2014 and those dark days of Massimo Cellino.
And while his contract at Leeds is due to expire in the summer and a renewal now looks unlikely, Farke has made clear he has no intentions of letting the player leave in light of a surprise approach from Blackburn.
Rovers want to sign Cooper on loan, with a view to offering him a permanent deal from the summer onwards.
Furthermore, Cooper has also made it clear that he is happy to reject the move himself and stay and fight for his place in Farke’s side.
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Leeds pushing for double Premier League additions
Both Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk have emerged as Farke’s first-choice central defensive pairing this season, though an injury to the latter has meant Ethan Ampadu dropping back to partner his Wales teammate in recent weeks.
Cooper, for his part, has still made 12 appearances in all competitions, scoring the club’s first goal of the season in a 2-2 draw against Cardiff back in August.
And while he is no longer considered a regular, his experience and voice in the dressing room is still hugely appreciated by Farke, and it is likely that will come in useful as the season reaches its climax.
In the meantime, Leeds comtinue to push hard for at least one signing of their own before the window closes and are actively in talks over one of two potential deals.
First up, we understand Leeds have made a renewed push to try and sign Everton’s Ben Godfrey, who has been cleared to leave Goodison.
The twice-capped England man has fallen down the pecking order and is available for a move this month, though the Toffees would prefer a permanent sale.
While rated at £10m, Leeds continue to ask the question of Everton around a potential loan with a possible option to make the move permanent in the summer subject to Leeds securing promotion.
Forest defender in Leeds United’s sights
The Whites are also looking at a possible deal for Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall, who has been cleared to leave this month.
The 27-year-old has fallen out of favour at the City Ground and is reportedly free to leave for a fee of around £6m.
Worrall has been linked with moves to Sheffield United and Besiktas, though The Sun’s Alan Nixon reports that Leeds too are considering a possible approach.
Despite losing a number of first-team options this month, Farke has maintained that he will only sign players who he thinks can add something extra to Leeds’ current options and improve on what they have.
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