da fezbet： In 2021, Leeds snapped up 18-year-old defender Leo Hjelde from Scottish Premiership giants Celtic for an undisclosed fee. Hjelde hadn't made a first-team appearance for the Hoops but the Whites' scouts had been impressed by how he'd performed during a loan spell at Ross County.
da dobrowin： Things ultimately didn't work out for Hjelde at Elland Road as he made just eight first-team appearances in all competitions, and he was ultimately sold to Championship rivals Sunderland in last month's transfer window. Undeterred, though, Leeds are now going after another youngster impressing in a loan stint north of the border.
Leeds keen on Wales
According to The Daily Record, Leeds are interested in signing Bobby Wales from Kilmarnock. Wales has been spending the 2023/24 season at third-tier Alloa, and his exploits have "caught the eye" of recruitment teams in England.
It's said that Leeds are one of a "string" of sides who have sent scouts to watch the striker in action recently, with Stoke and promotion rivals Ipswich also named as admirers.
Wales has exploded in Alloa spell
Wales made 10 first-team appearances at Kilmarnock last season, all of them in the Premiership. His debut came as a late substitute in a game against St Johnstone in October, and he went on to earn seven more outings off the bench either side of a couple of starts against Hearts and Motherwell in December. In addition to becoming one of the 15 youngest players in the club's history, he was also one of the 10 youngest to feature in the Scottish top-flight in 2022/23.
Scottish Premiership – youngest players 22/23
Rank
Player
Club
Age
1
Dylan Smith
Ross County
16/2/6
2
Lennon Miller
Motherwell
16/4/3
3
Bailey Rice
Rangers
16/4/14
4
Lucas Ross
Motherwell
16/4/17
5
Alfie Bavidge
Aberdeen
16/9/24
6
Rory MacLeod
Dundee United
16/10/25
7
Bobby Wales
Kilmarnock
17/4/6
8
Dylan Reid
St Mirren
17/7/9
9
Rocco Vata
Celtic
17/8/10
10
David Watson
Kilmarnock
18/0/20
This season, Kilmarnock decided to loan him out to ensure he could start senior games more regularly, and he's made himself a key player at Alloa with a 94.1% starting rate over the past 17 games. He's scored seven goals so far, all of them in a devastating hot streak over the past eight games. All of a sudden, only five players are above him in the division's scoring charts.
Leeds United poach Liverpool man as part of Elland Road restructure
The Yorkshire side are gearing up for a Premier League return.
ByBen Browning Feb 23, 2024
It's still very early days for the 18-year-old, but he's already developing into an impressive athlete with a 6 foot 2 frame and, capped nine times by Scotland at under-19 level, he's won international recognition too. With his contract due to expire in just over 12 months' time, it's no surprise that Daniel Farke and the 49ers are seemingly looking into the possibility of repeating the Hjelde transfer ahead of the summer window.