Leeds attempted to sign Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton during the summer transfer window.
The Argentine represented an interesting option for Daniel Farke as the 49ers looked for attacking reinforcements, although the South American eventually rejected Leeds for Chelsea.
However, the Argentina international has hardly played. Enzo Maresca even left the 20-year-old out of his squad altogether for the trip to Elland Road on Wednesday night, the sixth consecutive Premier League game Facundo Buonanotte has been completely absent.
He has only been named in a Premier League squad three times this season out of a possible 14.
Now, the Daily Mail have shared what Chelsea plan to do with the attacking midfielder as Leeds remain interested.
Chelsea have no intention of opening the Facundo Buonanotte door to Leeds United
The Athletic revealed earlier this week that Leeds remain keen on Buonanotte and would be interested in a January deal, should Chelsea send him back to Brighton.
Who do you want Leeds to sign in January? A striker surely has to be the priority!
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However, unless the man born in Perez pushes to leave Stamford Bridge, that seems unlikely to happen.
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The Daily Mail state that Chelsea insist Buonanotte will get chances to feature across a hectic winter schedule, which still involves seven more games to play before December ends.
Sources close to Chelsea add that the attacking midfielder is training well at Cobham, and hopes to appear more in upcoming games.
The Daily Mail make it clear Buonanotte β who rejected Leeds for UEFA Champions League football β knew he would be signing up to be a squad player this season rather than a regular starter, but cast doubt on whether he knew exactly how minimal his role would actually be.
Chelsea midfielder Facundo Buonanotte
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That suggests the Chelsea No.40 could seek a new club in January if Maresca fails to actually give him some chances during this busy festive schedule.
Do Leeds United still have a need for Facundo Buonanotte after switching to 3-5-2?
If Farke chooses to stick with his new 3-5-2 formation, which he should after it helped rip Chelsea apart, a move for Buonanotte would no longer make sense.
This is difficult: Who is Leeds Unitedβs best signing so far? π€
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The Brighton loanee can play as either a central attacking midfielder or a winger.
Neither position actually exists in the 3-5-2 shape, which replaces traditional wingers with wing-backs, and packs the midfield with three central midfielders supporting two strikers.
As a result, Leeds should probably start to look elsewhere for reinforcements this winter, with Buonanotte unlikely to have much impact in a 3-5-2 system.
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