According to the latest reports from Lancs Live, Leeds United are interested in signing former Derby County striker Matej Vydra in the summer. The Whites were even linked with him last summer, but the Czech striker went on to join Premier League outfit, Burnley. The fact that the Clarets were also fighting to get in the Europa League persuaded him to join Burnley.
However, he has struggled for game time under Sean Dyche having started just three games in the Premier League. He made 17 appearances in all competitions and scored only two goals. With Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes at the club, Vydra is going to struggle to find game time regularly.
Reports mention that going after Vydra could be costly for the Whites as he is being valued around £10m and his wages could also be a problem for the club. The Whites enjoyed an impressive but heartbreaking campaign under Marcelo Bielsa as they messed up their promotion chances in the last few games of the season. The club has already managed to keep hold of Bielsa for another year, but he must be backed in the transfer market if the Whites want to guarantee promotion to the Premier League.
Why Leeds United need a striker?
Leeds United spent big money according to their standards by bringing in Patrick Bamford for £7m. The English striker’s performances were underwhelming especially when he was needed the most in the latter half of the season. The Whites used to enjoy plenty of possession and dominate their games, but they weren’t able to convert goal scoring chances.
Bamford was guilty of missing quite a few big opportunities in crunch games during the last few games of the season. Kemar Roofe started as the striker at the start of the campaign, but he got injured and missed a good chunk of the second half of the season. Maybe with a clinical striker, the story could have been different for the Whites. Many would agree that the club should go out and bring in a proven striker who would guarantee 20-25 goals a season.
Is Vydra worth the price?
The Czech Republic international finished as the top goal scorer in the Championship in the 2017-18 campaign, and he is proven player at the Championship level. However, he is already 27, and £10m for him looks a bit out of bounds for the Whites.
Not to forget, Leeds United are also in the muck with the Financial Fair Play, and some reports claim that they are close to the limit of losses permitted within the three-year rolling period. On current terms, Championship clubs cannot incur a loss of over £39m in the three years. Therefore the club should instead look to pull off cheaper signings or a loan deal for a top striker.
