By Wayne Veysey

23rd Dec, 2021 | 9:23am

Sources: Leeds line up Swift move after £7m asking price plummets

Leeds United are lining up a move for Reading’s goalscoring midfielder John Swift as they work on a double January raid, Football Insider understands.

The Yorkshire giants were first keen on the 26-year-old in 2019 and then in the summer of last year but did not make a formal move.

A Leeds source has told Football Insider that Swift remains on their radar and is on the club’s target list of potential midfield signings going into the next next window.

Reading could be more likely to sell one of their prize assets than previously after he rejected their offer of a new contract.

The Championship outfit previously wanted £7million for Swift but his asking price has plummeted now he has entered the final six months of his deal.

This site revealed last Saturday (18 December) that Leeds are laying the groundwork for two January midfield signings following a U-turn in transfer planning.

Director of football Victor Orta is scouring the market for number six defensive midfielder as well as an attacking number eight midfielder.

Swift falls into the latter category on the back of his excellent statistics for creating and scoring goals.

He has a remarkable 17 direct goal contributions from 21 Championship matches this season, evenly split between eight goals and nine assists.

Swift missed much of last season due to two serious hamstring injuries but was similarly product in 2019-20 when he scored six and assisted 10 times in the league.

Significantly, he is versatile, too, and has played widely in central midfield and attacking midfield playmaker role.

The former Chelsea player has been one of Reading’s shining lights during a difficult few years.

In other news, a big update on Leeds United January plans can be revealed amid relegation fears.