Matt Mills exit talk "hots up" as phrases like "it is understood" are used

If you have been following the Bolton Wanderers news sphere over the last couple of days, you will have noticed that the hot topic is the growing chatter around the topic of a Matt Mills exit. In short, the newspapers and blogs are saying that Bolton defender Matt Mills is wanted by Brian McDermott's Leeds United. The rumored fee being thrown around is in the neighborhood of £1 million and that would mean the Trotters are taking a loss.

Mills has not made an appearance for Bolton Wanderers since the 8th of December, the Huddersfield Town away match in which both he and Mark Davies were forced into early exits with injuries. Mills was taken off with some six minutes left to go in the game with an apparent thigh injury, one that would keep him out for the season's final five months save for a few U21 appearances and a 90th minute Cameo in the home Huddersfield Town clash in February.

Following the thigh injury, Matt Mills was replaced in the lineup by a combination of Sam Ricketts and Tim Ream in the center of defense before Craig Dawson was drafted in for nearly the remainder of the year. Despite missing five months, Matt Mills was Bolton's second-most used central defender for the 2012/13 season with 18 appearances under his belt when all was said and done. Following him was Craig Dawson's 16 appearances and Tim Ream's 15. Zat Knight was the team's most-used central defender with 43 league appearances to his name.

Enter the transfer rumors. According to various blogs and newspapers in both the Bolton and Leeds United spheres, Leeds United manager Brian McDermott is interested in the services of Matt Mills for his defense as he aims to mount a promotion push in his first full season at Elland Road. McDermott and Mills worked together at Reading when the current Leeds manager took over for Brendan Rogers on a caretaker basis following Rogers' departure by mutual consent.

McDermott would later hand Mills the captaincy at Reading and it was not long after that Mills was on his way to Leicester City in a (reported) £4.5 million move. Fast forward one year and Leicester City were keen to cut ties with Matt Mills with the defender moving to Bolton on a £2 million deal. Mills would only make 25 appearances for the Foxes in the 2011/12 season and it's fair to say that his time there never really got off the ground.

The issue with the story really is that every single person and group reporting it is using phrases that include, but are not limited to, "it is understood" and "according to reports." No one is citing sources and no one is quoted one way or the other on the subject. It may very well be that the wheels are moving behind the scenes, don't get me wrong, but right now, it is far from conclusive.