According to the latest reports, Leeds United manager, Marco Bielsa has sanctioned a move for Derby County’s Matej Vydra. The Whites are prepared to match the striker’s £30,000-per-week wages that he currently banks with the Rams but are growing concerned over reported interests from Chinese clubs.
It is being said that Vydra has hiked up his wage demands since being contacted by clubs from the Far East. The 26-year-old is valued at £11m-£12m by Derby and is expected to receive a more lucrative deal from the Chinese outfits.
However, he has just around 72 hours left to pen down a deal away to Asia as the Chinese transfer window is set to close by 13th July. Vydra might make full use of his limited bargaining power to drive out a more rewarding deal with the Elland Road outfit.
Leeds certainly are in desperate need of a scoring number nine and they have already lost out on Jordan Rhodes to Norwich City. The Derby forward seems like their best bet of announcing their second signing in the 2018 summer window.
Vydra netted the ball 22 times to help Derby make an inspired run to the 2017/18 promotion playoffs. Somehow the Rams squeezed their way into the top six of the EFL Championship in the final weeks of the regular season and matched up against Fulham in the first round, eventually losing out by 2-1 on aggregate.
Vydra has racked up 80 total appearances for the Pride Park-based outfit during which he has delivered with 27 goals and 5 assists. He previously had loan spells with Watford and West Brom.
The Czech Republic international broke into the scene with his 22 goals and 9 assists in his season-long loan spell with the Hornets. He earned himself the 2012/13 Championship Player Of The Season and was subsequently loaned off to Albion, following the Hornets’ failure to earn a promotion to the top-flight.
Vydra could not really hit his prior scoring form at the Hawthorns and only managed 6 goals, in his debut Premier League season. He managed another 16 in his second stint with Watford and was signed permanently in the summer of 2015.
Derby ended up purchasing him for £8m in September 2016 after his time away from Vicarage Road with Reading FC. With Pierre-Michel Lasogga returning back to Hamburger SV, Bielsa will have to exert his will on to the Vydra transfer.
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Even though the ball is currently in the 26-year-old’s court, Leeds does have the option to wait out the next few days.
