Leeds United promotion hero's Championship transfer imminent — YEP 10/1/24

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A fans' favourite looks set to have played his last match for Leeds United with a medical booked in on Wednesday morning

By Chris Holt

Leeds United promotion hero Luke Ayling is set for a move to Championship rivals Middlesbrough today, according to reports.

The former Whites skipper is due in Middlesbrough on Wednesday morning for a medical which would see Ayling make the switch on loan until the end of the season, report The Athletic.

Ayling has been pushed down the pecking order under Daniel Farke since early October with the majority of his appearances since then coming from the bench. On Sunday, in Leeds' FA Cup success over Peterborough, the 32-year-old made what will almost certainly be his final appearance in a United shirt, coming on as a substitute in 78th minute, before receiving a heroes' reception from the away supporters at the end of the match.

Hugely popular at Elland Road, Ayling played a pivotal role in earning Leeds promotion to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa and he had stated that his dream this season had been to take the team back into the top flight in front of fans' with that having been denied to them during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Earlier in the season, upon leaving Ayling out of the side, Farke said of the player: "I pretty rarely talk about something like this, but in terms of football, 'team-mate' and 'group' character, Luke Ayling is second to none and probably the best player I've ever worked with in these terms.

"I am really careful with such a compliment. He brings the spirit and identity into this dressing room. He is so crucial for us. "If he plays many minutes; if he's just on the bench with a few minutes (of action), or not in the squad, he brings the heart and soul into my side. He makes sure we don't drop the standards in training. He makes sure everyone is really on it, disciplined and focused, working hard each and every day."

The former Arsenal defender made the move to Yorkshire from Bristol City in 2016. He would go on to make 268 appearances, scoring 11 goals.

Ayling moves to a Boro side buoyant from Tuesday night's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg win over Chelsea at the Riverside. Michael Carrick's outfit are currently 12th in the Championship standings, six points off the play-off places.

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