Marcus Tavernier has been made aware of interest from Leeds United but the winger says he wants to play Premier League football with Middlesbrough instead, speaking to Teesside Live.
Young, technically gifted, versatile and creative; 22-year-old Tavernier certainly looks like a football tailor-made for Marcelo Bielsa.
Did we mention he was born in Leeds too?
So while reports linking Tavernier with a January switch to Elland Road may have raised an eyebrow or two, delve a little deeper and you can see why Bielsa is a fan of Boro’s England U15 international.
Tavernier has played the full 90 minutes in Middlesbrough’s last 17 Championship games, impressing as new manager Chris Wilder picked up his first win away at Huddersfield Town last time out.
Will Marcus Tavernier leave Boro for Leeds United?
“I’ve seen the Leeds stuff, but only because my mum has been telling me about it,” Tavernier explains. “That’s all I know. She tells me what’s flying around out there, but it really doesn’t interest me.
“I’m a Middlesbrough player and my only focus is getting into the play-offs and winning promotion with us.
“I want to be a Premier League player, but my dream is to do it with Middlesbrough. I’ve come through the academy here, and I want to win promotion with Middlesbrough and play in the Premier League with this club.
“I’ve seen so many things here as a kid since growing up – hopefully, I can be part of something that would be really special.”
Tavernier insists that Middlesbrough have not given up on securing a place in the Championship’s top six, even if they gap between themselves and the play-off spots currently stands at a sizeable seven points.
The one-time Newcastle youngster is not the only Championship schemer on Leeds’ radar either. If reports are to be believed, Reading talisman John Swift could be on his way to West Yorkshire with Bielsa a big fan of a midfielder he once described as a ‘great’ talent.
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