Leeds United have finally made a concrete move to sign a striker this summer following the arrival of Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer early in the transfer window. Another free transfer deal is set to go through once Dominic Calvert-Lewin completes the move.
It emerged earlier today that Leeds have an agreement in place to sign the 28-year-old striker on a free transfer this summer. The forward is undergoing a medical ahead of signing the contract to become a new player at Elland Road.
He is likely to be registered in time to be in the squad to face his former side, Everton, at Elland Road on Monday night. However, Calvert-Lewin’s imminent arrival has divided opinions in West Yorkshire, and fans hope that Leeds will sign one more striker before the end of the window.
The forward’s imminent arrival has drawn criticism from some in the media. But there is hope this won’t mark the end of Leeds’ search for attacking reinforcements, with another striker potentially arriving in the coming weeks.
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Leeds United tipped to sign the ‘perfect striker’ in Aleksandar Mitrovic
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been heavily linked with a move to Leeds, with Al-Hilal looking to offload him following the arrival of Darwin Nunez.
The Serbian, who scored 14 goals in 24 games in his last season in the Premier League at Fulham, is keen to return to England, and a move to Leeds is believed to be on the cards.
Former Premier League scout Mick Brown insisted that the 30-year-old striker will be the ‘perfect striker’ for Leeds if they manage to sign him this summer.
He admitted that Leeds would have to assess whether he can be as potent in England as he was previously, but stressed that Mitrovic will give everything the Whites are missing in their squad at the moment.
“I hear Leeds have been looking at Mitrovic”, Brown told Football Insider.
“He’s somebody who scores goals, he’s proven he can do it in the Premier League, and he’d be worth taking the chance on bringing back from Saudi Arabia.
“Whether he’s the same player he was when he left, Leeds will know because they’ve been doing their due diligence on this deal.
“He would give them a focal point, which I don’t think Leeds have got at the moment.
“He impacts the opposition defenders; people have to mark him, which gives more space for the wide players to create chances for them.
“They can play off him as well, which is an asset to any club if you’re forced to go long to the striker against teams like Man City and Liverpool.
“In that respect, he would be the perfect striker for Leeds and the position they’re in.”
Mitrovic would have to agree to take a massive pay cut to join Leeds
Brown is right – Mitrovic would be a perfect striker for Leeds, given the kind of team of giants Farke has been trying to construct since earning promotion to the Premier League.
The Serbian is a massive unit and will provide a huge physical focal point in attack for the Leeds team. His experience in the Premier League will be a bonus.
However, a deal still seems implausible given Mitrovic earns around £400,000 per week in Saudi Arabia, and Leeds would struggle to offer him a quarter of those wages.
A move would only be possible if the striker agrees to take a drastic pay cut or Al-Hilal agree to pay a huge chunk of his wages while Leeds sign him on loan.
