Rumour Mongering: Leeds in the Mix for James Milner

Having come up through the academy at Leeds before joining Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, and then Liverpool in his outstanding career, many assumed that if and when the time came, James Milner would return to his boyhood club.

Instead, with the 37-year-old set to move on from the Reds this summer, it’s Brighton and Hove Albion who are considered favourites for his signature and until now there had been little to suggest Leeds would in fact be an option for the Englishman.

That changes today with The Daily Mail claiming Leeds are in fact in the mix for Milner—or at least they will be if they manage to stave off relegation. That currently looks a tough but not impossible ask for the latest club Sam Allardyce is trying to salvage.

With two games left to play, Leeds are in 18th—aka the final relegation place—a point behind Everton in 17th and a point ahead of Leicester in 19th. Their final two games are against West Ham and Spurs. Everton play Wolves and Bournemouth.

It’s anybody’s guess who stays up, but if Leeds do then maybe they can tempt Milner. Still, even if they stay up, the prospect of Brighton may be hard to turn down as the south coast Seagulls currently find themselves in the mix for the European places.

All things considered, then, there’s likely little reason for Milner to ever consider Leeds aside from nostalgia. But then nostalgia can be a powerful thing, particularly as a player’s career winds down. It will be interesting to see where Milner ends up next.