Leeds United urged to pick up "very tidy" Burnley FC player amid contract situation | OneFootball

Josh Brownhill has been identified by our Whites fan pundit as an ideal signing ahead of next season

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Our Leeds United fan pundit has picked out Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill as the out-of-contract Championship player that he would most like the Whites to sign at the end of this season, following previous rumours of their interest in his services.

Brownhill joined the Clarets from Bristol City in January 2020, and has been an important part of their side over the last few seasons in both the Championship and Premier League.

He was set to become a free agent at the end of last season as Burnley suffered relegation back to the second-tier, but signed a one-year extension to his deal to cover this term, and was handed the captaincy by Scott Parker ahead of the new campaign.

The 28-year-old has been in fine form under Parker recently, with Burnley firmly in the battle for automatic promotion, but his Turf Moor contract situation is yet to be resolved, and he looks set to depart on a free transfer at the end of his deal in the summer, regardless of their league status.

Leeds fan pundit identifies Josh Brownhill as a potential free signing this summer

Leeds are leading the way at the top of the Championship right now, so if they do go on to win promotion in May, they will certainly be an attractive proposition to a player like Brownhill, who has already previously impressed in the top-flight.

The Whites were claimed to be interested in securing his services ahead of the January window, according to TBR Football, but then faced competition from the likes of West Ham, Brighton and Fulham, with a move unlikely. If they are a Premier League club next season, however, then they could prove to be a realistic destination for the 29-year-old.

FLW's Leeds fan pundit, Ger Lynch, has identified Brownhill as a possible pick-up for Farke's side in the summer, after we asked him to name one Championship player who is out of contract this summer that his club should be eyeing up a move for.

“There is only probably one player that is out of contract in the Championship this summer who I’d like to see Leeds move for, and that’s Josh Brownhill," Ger told FLW.

“I think he’s a very tidy midfielder. He gets you goals from midfield as well, which Leeds have struggled for in the last couple of years.

“He’s good on set-pieces, which again, Leeds don’t really have an out-and-out set-piece taker outside of Joe Rothwell, who still doesn’t score an awful lot of goals.

“Josh Brownhill is probably the standout one I would want us to get.”

Brownhill would be an ideal signing for Leeds, but certain criteria will need to be met

Following their last-ditch win against Sunderland on Monday evening, Leeds sit top of the second-tier, two points ahead of Sheffield United and seven points clear of third-placed Burnley.

Despite Brownhill's decent performances in the middle of the park, the Clarets have struggled to be free-flowing in attack, and it does seem pretty unlikely that they will catch up to the Whites to win automatic promotion at this moment in time. Leeds need to avoid a repeat of last season's play-off failure, and they are certainly set to right now.

With that said, the 29-year-old's chances of making the Elland Road switch would be greatly increased if it remains as is, with Leeds in the top-flight ahead of 2025/26 and the Clarets still possibly in the Championship.

He is only going to leave East Lancashire to play top-flight football as he approaches 30-years-old, especially given the previous interest from Süper Lig side Trabzonspor, and numerous Premier League teams.

Brownhill is a standout every time he plays in the Championship, and has also impressed in the Premier League despite Burnley's recent ill-fated seasons.

He would undoubtedly be a great fit as a number eight in Farke's midfield, particularly with the Whites needing additions to their midfield in the summer, with Joe Rothwell set to return to Bournemouth after his loan spell, and Josuha Guilavogui also out-of-contract.