Leeds United have lodged an official bid for an Aston Villa player on transfer deadline day.

Aston Villa have reportedly rejected a loan offer from Leeds United for attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia.

Leeds have been interested in Buendia since the start of the summer and have made a last-ditch approach; however Villa are unwilling to let their number 10 leave on a temporary basis – or at least on the terms currently being offered.

It’s understood Buendia was on the list of players Villa were considering selling earlier in the summer as they made efforts to comply with a host of financial regulations, including the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and UEFA’s squad cost rules (SCR). After a decent pre-season, however, Unai Emery is understood to have told Buendia he can stay.

Leeds United bid for Aston Villa midfielder

Despite Villa’s stance on Buendia being reaffirmed by his appearances against Brentford and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, Leeds have made a late move in an effort to change their minds. The Telegraph’s John Percy reports ‘Villa have turned down a loan offer from Leeds’ today.

It awaits to be seen what the exact terms of the loan bid were but Buendia, who signed from Norwich City for £33 million back in 2021, is expected to remain at Villa Park. Never say never on deadline day, but it would take a significant bid to tempt Villa as Emery wants to retain the squad depth Buendia provides.

Said depth is said to be bolstered by the incoming signings of Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott on loan deals from Manchester United and Liverpool respectively. Sancho and Elliott are on their way to Birmingham to undergo medicals and complete the formalities of their arrivals, but Buendia still won’t be allowed to join Leeds as it stands.

Leeds aren’t the only club to have made an approach for Buendia as Bundesliga club Stuttgart recently tried to test Villa’s resolve. The Athletic revealed last week that Stuttgart saw a loan-to-buy offer turned down. Buendia was keen on the move to Germany but wasn’t allowed to go.