Leeds United and Bournemouth in the Hunt for Brighton prodigy

The summer transfer window may be several months away, but already there’s a battle emerging between Leeds United and Bournemouth, as the pair look to snap up Brighton & Hove Albion right-back Rob Hunt.

The 21-year-old is currently on loan at League One side Oldham Athletic, but despite only making the switch in January, he’s already made a huge impact at Boundary Park.

With the Latics seemingly marooned in the drop zone when he arrived, the skilful, composed and energetic full-back has now helped John Sheridan’s men to secure four clean sheets in his seven appearances – including three in their last trio of games, following a 0-0 draw against Millwall on Saturday.

A product of the Brighton youth set-up, Hunt made his senior debut in October’s 1-0 victory at Burton Albion.

But despite looking more than capable of handling Championship football during his five outings for the Seagulls, the youngster seems unlikely to oust current left-back and Cameroon international Gaetan Bong, anytime soon.

The unlikeliness of a regular spot at the AMEX Stadium gives a boost to his potential suitors, with Whites boss Garry Monk keen to bring in defensive reinforcements this summer, especially if they can secure promotion to the Premier League.

Bournemouth are also believed to be interested, but with Charlie Daniels and Tyrone Mings already in the Cherries ranks, Hunt would be unlikely to get any real game-time – a factor which could well push him towards choosing West Yorkshire over the south coast.

Next up for Leeds is a visit to Birmingham City on Friday night, with 13/10 for the Whites to secure a third victory in four games.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing