Leeds United open talks to sign West Ham United defender Ben Johnson

Leeds United have opened talks to sign West Ham defender Ben Johnson this month, according to a report by Seb Ecrivain Foot.

Writing on his personal Twitter account (13 January), the LBCDS journalist reports that the Whites are closely interested in signing the Hammers ace having allowed Djed Spence and Luke Ayling to leave the club already.

And talks are underway about a potential move, with Johnson’s contract at the London Stadium set to expire at the end of the season.

“Leeds is closely interested in West Ham’s defender, Ben Johnson,” he wrote.

“Discussions are underway for a possible move.”

Johnson is a super experienced player who is still in the early years of his career, which is a very rare combination to get and is usually the best thing for a Championship club.

The player has been keen for regular first-team football since his “absolutely brilliant” breakthrough back in 2021, but is behind Vladimir Coufal in the pecking order under David Moyes.

With his contract running down at the club this could be the last chance for the Hammers to cash in on him, and Leeds could pounce for a cut-price deal that would greatly bolster the squad and bring some experience in too.

Whether the player would be open to moving down to the Championship remains to be seen, but he will know that Leeds are pushing hard for promotion and he could feel that his presence could be the difference in getting back to the Premier League immediately.

If Daniel Farke can pull it off it would be a fantastic signing, and this is certainly one to watch in the coming days and weeks before the window slams shut.