Defender Hjelde close to £1.5m exit from Leeds

LEEDS United defender Leo Fuhr Hjelde is close to agreeing a permanent move to Sunderland.

It is a sign of how the Norwegian has failed to convince at Elland Road this season that he is being sold at a time when fullbacks are thin on the ground.

Sam Byram is the club's only specialist right-back after the January departures of Djed Spence and Luke Ayling, but is instead their first choice at left-back, where Junior Firpo is the only competition as the ultra-versatile Stuart Dallas continues his recovery from a broken leg.

Midfielders Archie Gray and Jamie Shackleton are the options at right-back.

Hjelde is a centre-back by preference but has played much of his senior football at left-back, both with Leeds and on loan at Rotherham United last season.

Sunderland are expected to pay around £1.5m for the 20-year-old, but a percentage is due to Celtic, under the terms of his 2021 move to West Yorkshire.

Hjelde was in Daniel Farke's first competitive starting XI as Leeds United manager, at home to Cardiff City in the Championship, at left-back, and kicked off August's League Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town and Salford City but struggled, and has not featured since.

Leeds are actively looking to bring in another defender before Thursday's 11pm deadline with former York City player Ben Godfrey, now at Everton, a potential loan option.

Aaron Leya Iseka's unhappy time at Barnsley is finally at an end after agreeing a permanent move to OFI Crete. The 26-yearold was at Israeli Premier League Hapoel Hadera on a season-long loan, but recalled and moved out to Greek Super League side Crete.