Leeds set to tie down the England striker Man United wanted in January, with Carrick’s side now four points below them

Leeds United look set to hold on to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the striker reportedly ready to sign a new contract at Elland Road instead of pursuing a January move to Old Trafford.

According to BBC Sport, the 29-year-old is set to commit to a new deal, which would end Manchester United‘s hopes of prising him away this winter. Leeds have not announced anything yet, so for now this is a report and not a done deal.

It comes only days after United were first linked with a January raid, and a lot has happened to both clubs since then.

Why Leeds can afford to say no

Leeds hold all the cards here. Calvert-Lewin’s current deal already runs until the summer of 2028, so there was never any danger of him leaving cheaply, and a new one would come less than 18 months after he arrived on a free from Everton.

He has also earned it. He went into Saturday’s game with 20 goals in 49 appearances for the club, 15 of them last season, and has four league goals so far this term. One of those came in this month’s 1-1 draw with United at Elland Road, and Michael Carrick’s reaction to that afternoon is below.

His form brought an England call-up too, for the Nations League games against Spain, Croatia and Czechia, where he was understudy to Harry Kane.

Calvert-Lewin’s new Leeds deal matters more after Bournemouth

Saturday made the case for keeping him even stronger. In the 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth, he bundled the ball in after 11 minutes, only for VAR to rule it out for handball. Leeds then managed one shot on target from 10 all game.

That defeat took Daniel Farke’s side from seventh at the start of the day to 11th, on 11 points. They have now gone five league games without a win since beating Newcastle 4-1 on September 14, and they have scored just twice in that run.

One of those two goals was his. A team struggling for goals doesn’t sell the man most likely to score them, least of all to a rival.

Where does this leave Man United’s striker search?

Back at square one, and with less time to spare. Benjamin Sesko is out until at least January with a shin problem, so Bryan Mbeumo has been playing through the middle, with Joshua Zirkzee mostly coming off the bench.

When the story first broke, United were winless in eight. Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United made it nine in all competitions, their longest such run since 1988, and they are 17th on seven points after Saturday’s games. Only goal difference keeps them above Crystal Palace and out of the bottom three.

That leaves them four points behind Leeds. Roma visit Old Trafford on Tuesday and Aston Villa on November 8, and Carrick needs results from both long before January comes around.

Has Old Trafford lost its pull?

Leeds supporters know this road well. Eric Cantona, Rio Ferdinand and Alan Smith all went from Elland Road to United, back when that move looked like a step up for anyone.

It is 13 years since Sir Alex Ferguson left, and in his final seasons United could turn the head of almost any player in the league. If this report is right, an England striker has looked at a side in 17th place and decided he is better off where he is. On the current table, it is hard to call him wrong.

Verdict: Calvert-Lewin staying at Leeds is bad news for Carrick

This looks like the right call for player and club. Calvert-Lewin keeps his place as the main man in a team that needs him, and Leeds avoid the sort of sale their fans would not forgive in a hurry.

I wouldn’t get carried away with talk of Leeds in Europe, not after five league games without a win. But finishing above United no longer sounds daft, and that alone tells you how far apart the view from these two clubs has become. United will have to look elsewhere, and they don’t have long.