Orta could unearth Leeds' next £60m sensation in "dirty" 23 y/o with a "desire to win" - opinion

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Flynn Downes to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a recent report by The Times, who claim that, with Aston Villa, Newcastle United and West Ham United all believed to be plotting a £60m move for Kalvin Phillips, should the England international go on to leave Jesse Marsch’s side at the end of the current campaign, Victor Orta could look to bring in the Swansea City midfielder as the 26-year-old’s replacement.

Considering just how impressive Downes has been for Swansea since his £1m move to the Liberty Stadium last summer, in addition to his remarkably similar profile to Phillips, it is easy to see why Leeds have identified the 23-year-old as a potential successor to the England star.

Indeed, over his 31 Championship appearances this season, the £1.08m-rated midfielder has been one of Russell Martin’s standout performers, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 61.8 passes, 0.9 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and winning four duels per 90 minutes.

These returns have seen the £9.3k-per-week dynamo average a SofaScore match rating of 6.82, ranking him as the Swans’ tenth-best player in the second tier of English football.

Furthermore, Martin has clearly been extremely impressed with the development of Downes, stating of the former England U20 international after a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town back in September last year:

“Flynn was incredible, it’s difficult to single people out, but he does the dirty work perfectly well. He enables other people to do their roles brilliantly, he knows exactly what his role in the team is. Kyle Naughton and the guys at the back appreciate