Report: Weston McKennie gives OK to potential Leeds United move

Early Tuesday, word broke that Leeds United is the latest Premier League side to approach Juventus about a possible deal for midfielder Weston McKennie.

As Tuesday came to a close, we heard from one of those same sources that things are progressing between the two clubs on the negotiation front. So much so that there already seems to be one of the biggest hurdles already cleared.

According to Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, the 24-year-old McKennie has given the stamp approval to a potential move to Leeds, one that would see him join up with the growing American contingent already at Ellan Road. There have been no reports of personal terms being agreed to between McKennie’s camp and Leeds, but Di Marzio did state in his Tuesday night report that “the negotiation is progessing.”

As of Tuesday night, McKennie is essentially the only Juventus player to potentially be leaving during the January transfer window. It still remains pretty unclear as to how much of a transfer fee Leeds United and Juventus are currently discussing. Di Marzio said Tuesday night that Leeds and Juve “are now hypothesizing possible figures to make the deal concrete.”

But to get the OK from McKennie has to mean that talks will not just continue but also have a greater chance of being successful. And you can understand why McKennie would be attracted to a club like Leeds despite the fact it sits a point above the relegation zone in the Premier League — he would get to be coached by an American manager who surely he is familiar with as well as a pair of national team teammates in Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson.

Leeds is one of a handful of Premier League clubs that have discussed a potential move for McKennie, but this appears the furthest that talks have gotten over the past few weeks following links to both Aston Villa and Bournemouth earlier this month.