The recruitment drive at Leeds United looks set to press on tonight with the Elland Road outfit closing on a deal for their seventh signing of the summer in the vein of Paris Saint-Germain’s French U21 starlet Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Leeds had an initial bid of €20 million rejected earlier today but immediately returned with an offer of €25 million (£21m) which PSG seem happy to accept according to reports in 90min via Graeme Bailey.
Leeds United in talks to sign PSG striker Arnaud Kalimuendo and they are close to agreeing €25m deal.@90min_Football
— Graeme Bailey (@GraemeBailey) July 14, 2022
With headline striker Patrick Bamford increasingly being viewed as an injury risk and the only other true options at center-forward coming through academy products Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood, a move for Kalimuendo could be a real transfer coup amid the current need in Yorkshire.
Kalimuendo is coming off a two-year stint at Racing Club de Lens that saw his stock rise considerably during that period, one that included a 12-goal season in 2021-22, enough for him to top the goal chart at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Though Leeds originally faced competition from fellow Premier League outfit Newcastle United, Kalimuendo could be added to a growing list of credible confirmed transfer deals perpetrated by director of football Victor Orta and manager Jesse Marsch.
Completed deals for RB Salzburg pair Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen, RB Leipzig’s Tyler Adams, Bayern Munich’s Marc Roca, Feyenoord Rotterdam’s Luis Sinisterra, and Manchester City academy graduate Darko Gyabi have shown real intent by Leeds to reform the first-team squad after the losses of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips.
But Leeds could truly be in a better place come the beginning of the 2022-23 domestic campaign, and with the age profile of many of their new summer recruits becoming clear, the long-term picture under Jesse Marsch could be one of real promise.
For more on Leeds United, read below
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This article was edited by
Conor Laird.
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