Leeds United target youngsters from Celtic, Rangers, Brighton and Bradford - Phil Hay

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed on his podcast that Leeds United have identified young transfer targets at Celtic, Rangers, Brighton and Bradford.

He didn’t name names, so we will try our best to guess who could be on Leeds’ radar this summer.

Bradford City targets

Reece Staunton (19): Since making his pro-debut at just 15-years-old, the centre-back has struggled for consistency in minutes due to injury. Staunton has made eight appearances in League Two this season, scoring one goal with a couple of his games coming at left-back.

Finn Cousin-Dawson (19): FCD has made 19 appearances in League Two this season in several different positions. Versatility is key to fitting in at Leeds, and FCD has played several games at right-back, centre-back, holding-midfield and right-midfield but is yet to score or assist.

Kian Scales (18): Playing primarily as an 8/10 in the midfield, breaking out this season having made 18 league appearances, scoring one goal. He has also assisted one goal in The EFL Trophy this season while also playing a couple of games at right-midfield.

Brighton

Haydon Roberts (18): The young centre-back has been a target of Leeds for a while now. After The Whites couldn’t bring Ben White back after a successful loan last season, Roberts could be another talented option to compete with Charlie Cresswell, Olly Casey and Nohan Kenneh in the Leeds under-23s. Roberts has spent this season on loan at Rochdale, making 26 appearances in League One so far, playing at centre-back, left-back and holding-midfield.

Celtic

Karamoko Dembele (18): This is a hopeful suggestion for me. As a Scotsman the same age as Dembele, I’ve been aware of his talent since he was 13-years-old after being invited to a light training session with the first-team by Brendan Rodgers. Soon after, Dembele made his Celtic under-20s debut at 13-years-old. He signed his first pro-contract at 15 and scored the winning goal on his debut against Hearts while also making an appearance in Europe against Cluj.

He’s been a prodigy on the radar for Scottish fans for years now and yet his career is just getting started. Not only am I praying that he chooses to represent Scotland at international, I really hope that he arrives in Leeds this summer to sign on the dotted line. He’s in need of first-team chances and it looks like Dembele will leave the Hoops who are in disarray having had their title streak ended by Rangers this season.

Rangers

Nathan Patterson (19): The back-up for former Leeds academy product James Tavernier, Patterson has begun to break out as one of Rangers’ best young prospects. He’s made six appearances in the SPL so far this season while scoring on his Scottish Cup debut and grabbing a goal from one of his four appearances in The Europa League. An exciting wing-back with bags of energy and aggression who could fit well into the Leeds system.

Leeds have been linked with a bunch more players as the season draws to a close. Alex Moreno, Yangel Herrera and Noni Madueke are among the names that could arrive in the summer.

Who would you like to see Leeds sign this summer? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @ThruItAllLUFC.