Dan James: Leeds United get their man two years on

Welsh International Daniel James is set to complete a move to Elland Road from Manchester United. It’s been two years now since he was supposed to sign for Leeds United from Swansea City; when the move collapsed as he was about to sign the papers in West Yorkshire.

On transfer deadline day in January 2019, James had made his way to Leeds following an agreement between them and Swansea for a fee of £10 million.

The winger was pictured holding up the Leeds shirt and doing promotional shoots around the stadium before a disagreement between the Swansea owners and Chairman led to them eventually calling the transfer off.

As documented in Leeds’s Amazon Prime documentary James was sat in an Elland Road suite, getting ready to sign contracts waiting for Swansea to confirm the deal before the 11pm deadline – instead of becoming a Leeds player – the Welshman was left embarrassed as Swansea called off the deal.

It does not look like there will be any embarrassment this time around with the deal looking to be firmly in place.

Manchester United offload the speedy winger, who has had a mixed time at Old Trafford, with some saying he has struggled to reach his full potential. With the Red Devils bringing in players like Jadon Sancho and the high-profile arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, competition for forward places will be very high.

Despite featuring in their first three Premier League games, it is almost certain that James will fall down the pecking order, sooner, rather than later and moving on could be the best move for player and club.

The move allows Leeds manager, Marcelo Bielsa, to get a player he has admired for a while and adds some extra depth and experience to the team’s front positions.

The move is pending a medical but should be completed on deadline day, sparing any issues.