Leeds are considering whether to match Bournemouth’s asking price of £15 million for former midfielder Lewis Cook.
The Whites have spent £40m in recent days, bringing German international defender Robin Koch and Spanish international forward Rodrigo to the club, and attention has now turned to the midfield.
It’s believed manager Marcelo Bielsa is happy with his options out wide but is keen to bolster the central midfield area due to the physical challenges of the Premier League.
Cook came through the academy at Elland Road, making his debut as a 17-year-old in 2014, before signing for Bournemouth two years later in a deal worth around £8m.
The 23-year-old has has a mixed time on the south coast and after Leeds replaced Bournemouth in the Premier League, there are doubts surrounding his future.
York-born Cook earned an England call-up in 2018 and is thought to be reluctant to drop down to the Championship at a crucial stage in his career.
It’s likely he would jump at the chance to return to West Yorkshire and the ball-playing midfielder has all the high-energy attributes associated with a Bielsa team.
Having spent north of £60m in the window so far, Leeds are keen to get Bournemouth’s asking price down for a player who has yet to score a Premier League goal.
However the Cherries have already lost goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and centre-back Nathan Ake in this window and are reluctant to lose any key players on the cheap.
With Leeds looking at a fee of around £10m and Bournemouth holding out for £15m, don’t be surprised to see the clubs meet somewhere in the middle should a deal be reached.
