A big update has emerged on Leeds United and their attempts to add a new centre-forward to the playing squad before the end of the summer transfer window.
What’s the latest Leeds transfer news?
Daniel Farke has brought in Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram, Joe Rodon, and Karl Darlow so far and is now eyeing a move for a number nine to bolster his attack before next week’s deadline.
According to journalist Alan Nixon (via his Patreon site), the Whites are plotting a bid to sign Swansea striker Joel Piroe and are willing to splash out £15m on the excellent marksman.
The reporter has claimed that the Swans could be tempted to cash in on the Dutch ace after rejecting offers from other clubs earlier this summer as his current contract with the Welsh side is due to expire at the end of the season.
Leeds are said to be ‘desperate’ to secure his signature and will now be hoping that £15m will be enough to get this deal over the line in the coming days.
How good is Joel Piroe?
The 24-year-old dynamo is a proven Championship goalscorer who has the quality to hit the ground running at Elland Park to be the lethal striker Farke needs to push his side up the table.
No current Leeds player managed more than five Premier League goals last term and Georginio Rutter was tasked with leading the line in the most recent Championship clash with West Bromwich Albion last week.
The 21-year-old Frenchman has failed to score in two league appearances this season and struggled in the top-flight with zero goals and one assist in 11 matches for the Whites during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.
Piroe would come in as a big upgrade on the former Hoffenheim man as he knows how to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
The Swansea star scored 19 goals in 43 Championship starts last term and that came after he plundered an eye-catching 22 goals in 40 starts throughout the previous season.
This means that the left-footed finisher racked up 41 goals in 83 second-division starts for the Swans, which is one strike every 2.02 games on average.
Whereas, Rutter has scored 21 goals in 109 career appearances, including youth team football with Rennes, which works out as a goal every 5.19 outings on average, and has failed to score in 13 league matches for Leeds to date.
At the age of 21, the former Bundesliga attacker has plenty of time left on his side to develop and could have the potential to eventually be a good option for the club. However, his statistics in the here and now do not suggest that he has what it takes to spearhead a promotion push this season.
Piroe, who was once hailed as “prolific” by TribalFootball and EFL content creator Benjamin Bloom, would come in as a player who could lead the attack and be a reliable option for Farke at the top end of the pitch.
He is a proven, consistent, scorer at Championship level and would clearly be a big upgrade on Rutter due to his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
