Leeds were off to a flying start under Marcelo Bielsa with a view of earning a long-pending Premier League return. But off late they looked fatigued as the gaffer relied upon the same set of players week in week out due to the shallowness of the squad. Several massive injuries hampered their progress and cost them the leading spot of the Championship standings. The Whites require further reinforcements in summer to stay in the promotion hunt but must accelerate their interest in a long-term target who is now being chased by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Wolves, as per the report from ESPN, have identified Kasımpaşa S.K centre-forward Mbaye Diagne as their prime transfer target in winter to resolve their goal drought. They are in search of a prolific goal scorer to help out Raul Jimenez upfront, and an affordable £8.8m asking fee (claimed by Turkish media) for the Senegalese has drawn the attention of Premier League new boys. He is currently the top scorer in Turkish Süper Lig with 12 goals in 12 outings and has notched 24 league goals in 29 games since completing a January transfer from Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin TEDA.
The former Juventus centre-forward was extensively scouted by Leeds United as reported by Turkish Football but could not complete a transfer on time amid work permit confusions. A move to Molineux, however, would be fascinating for the 27-year-old hitman due to the temptation of Premier League football which the West Yorkshire giants won’t be able to offer right now.
Yet they must advance talks with the player’s entourage, and the opportunity to play for the iconic El Loco might work in favour of Leeds in bringing Diagne at Elland Road. The Whites have had Patrick Bamford injured for months, therefore, banking on Kemar Roofe as the only senior ‘number 9’ option who is in fine form netting goals persistently.
But his injury a few weeks back left the gaffer with no option but to line up teenager Tyler Roberts as the first-choice centre-forward that saw Leeds struggling to grind out results despite top efforts from the 19-year-old Wales international.
Signing Diagne would add depth as well as quality in the attacking third. Veteran Pablo Hernandez has his injury concerns and Jack Harrison, his understudy, failed to showcase consistency in his game. Roofe has exhibited his excellence from wide areas in previous campaigns and might be shifted down the wing to reshuffle the frontline.
The Super Lig sensation would allow Bielsa to alter the set-up and experiment more to find out the best combinations prior to the season’s deciding phase. Although it will be tough to snatch a deal away from Wolves, the Whites must not give it up this early considering their current crisis due to fatigue and fitness woes.
