http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/746374/Leeds-United-news-transfers-Garry-Monk-buy-players-striker-West-Ham-Ashley-FletcherLeeds United Transfer Special: £2m West Ham plan, three players could leaveLEEDS UNITED are chasing the Championship play-off places this season. Express Sport looks at what could happen at Leeds in the January transfer window.
By Joe Short PUBLISHED: 07:01, Sun, Dec 25, 2016
Leeds United manager Garry Monk is eyeing a deal to sign Ashley Fletcher from West Ham
Leeds United are in the unfamiliar position of stability heading into a January transfer window - the first time that has happened in years.
Manager Garry Monk has reversed the club's fortunes on the pitch, with the boss seemingly immune to owner Massimo Cellino's continuous battles off it.
Monk has been in the job almost seven months now. His 27 games in charge makes him the third-longest serving manager under Cellino since the Italian arrived in April 2014.
West Ham beat Leeds to Ashley Fletcher in the summer but the striker is already available for £2m
Leeds sit fifth in the Championship ahead of their Boxing Day clash at Preston and spirits at Elland Road are rightly high.
But with the club still 10 points off second-place Brighton it seems unlikely that Leeds will secure automatic promotion this season.
Surely a play-off spot is a realistic goal for Monk, who will be given the opportunity to sign players in January.
Chris Wood has scored 11 Championship goals this season
- What do Leeds need?
Monk has already said he wants to sign a striker in January, which may come as a surprise to some considering he brought Kemar Roofe and Marcus Antonsson to the club in the summer.
But goals have been hard to come by at times at Elland Road. Chris Wood has bagged 11 Championship goals but after that Leeds' top scorers in the league are striker Souleymane Doukara and defender Kyle Bartley (both 3).
That isn't good enough for a team chasing promotion. They have a +4 goal difference compared to Newcastle's +28 and Brighton's +21. That shows the real gap between the two leaders and the chasing pack.
- How much can Leeds spend?
It's hard to say with Leeds. In the summer they spent over £5million on new players, which looks like a healthy outlay. But then again, they made £7m from Lewis Cook's transfer to Bournemouth and also cashed in on Sam Byram's £4m move to West Ham in January.
Reports that Leeds are willing to offer £2m for West Ham striker Ashley Fletcher seem about right. They were unwilling to offer much more for the Manchester United academy product when they tried to sign him in the summer.
Apart from Fletcher, it's hard to see where Leeds will make permanent deals, with a couple of loan signings maybe their best bet.
- Who might Leeds sign?
Fletcher, 21, could do with a run of games and he may be available next month. Monk wants a striker and Fletcher, with his height, speed and calm first touch, fits the bill.
Monk is unlikely to drop Chris Wood any time soon so Fletcher would likely be used as the New Zealander's strike partner. Fletcher impressed on loan at Barnsley last season, helping the Tykes win promotion.
After just three starts for West Ham, the club could send him out on loan. Leeds would ideally like to make the deal permanent but a loan move could be a good compromise until the end of the season.
Ashley Fletcher (right) is reportedly valued at £2m
There are also loose reports that Monk could go in for former Leeds midfielders Max Gradel and Fabian Delph. Both are struggling for game time in the Premier League but neither option seems particularly viable at the present.
Peter Crouch, who was linked to the club last winter, supposedly remains an option for Monk, while David Nugent's name has been mentioned.
But in reality it looks like the boss won't make too many signings unless injury forces his hand.
Luke Murphy is expected to leave Leeds in January
- Who could leave Leeds?
Luke Murphy is set to leave the club after making just one appearance under Monk, in the EFL Cup back in August. Expect a lesser Championship side to snap him up, maybe on loan until the end of the season.
Monk is also likely to offload Toumani Diagouraga, who has not played since the 3-0 defeat at QPR on the opening day of the season.
Defender Gaetano Berardi has played just a handful of games and could be shifted, having lost his place to Luke Ayling.
