Leeds United defender Gaetano Berardi is in the final months of his contract at Elland Road, and the club are yet to start contract extension talks with him.

The Athletic journalist Phil Hay claims the Swiss is the only player in such a situation whom the club are yet to discuss a new deal with, and he hints it could mean he is in his last season at Elland Road.

The trio of Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich and Pablo Hernandez started contract renewal talks having entered this season with a year left on their deals, and the fact that Leeds haven’t initiated talks with another player who was also in such a situation speaks volume.

Berardi started the new season behind the centre-back pairing of Liam Cooper and Ben White in the pecking order after he spent most of last season on the treatment table, but a six-week injury to the former handed him a chance against Millwall last weekend.

The 31-year-old was sent off 14 minutes into the game – his seventh red card in Leeds colours – but the decision has since been rescinded following a successful appeal, and he is expected to retain his place in the starting XI when Birmingham City come visiting.

The former Sampdoria man has spent five years at Elland Road and his versatility has come handy under many managers, but his recent injury and disciplinary records have made him dispensable, and he could be on his way out of Yorkshire next summer.