Habib Diarra and his representatives appear to have lofty ambitions. The Strasbourg captain has been given the green light to leave this summer by the club’s president, which is rather like dropping a cone of chips on a beach full of seagulls.
Immediately, claims emerged of other clubs rivalling Leeds United’s interest, and understandably so. To be a captain of a club which has just secured European football at the age of 21 is a rarity, especially in a top five European league.
His recent goal for Senegal against England - his fourth in as many international matches - only bolstered his profile and perhaps also the confidence of his agents. His inner circle are of the opinion their client has a future at one of the top European clubs.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have been mentioned as final destinations, one day. Whether that is confidence, wishful thinking or misjudgement will only be revealed in time but such a transfer is highly unlikely to be his next move. He will be looking for a stepping stone this summer.
Whether that’s in the form of Leeds United is questionable. The club have submitted a £22million bid - which is not far off Strasbourg's valuation - but the Whites are not optimistic about transfer success. Many have therefore asked, why even bother?
Well, the 49ers are adopting an ambitious approach to the market. You can’t win the raffle if you don’t buy a ticket, and all that. Better to try than not to at all. High hopes but low expectations. Take your pick of adage.
High-placed club sources explaining this mindset used the example of Raphinha. The Brazilian was a gem of a find and is now one of the candidates for the Ballon d’Or. His sale of £50m to Barcelona - which was £33m more than what Leeds paid Rennes - is United's record sale.
Get Leeds United news to your phone with our WhatsApp community
Want the inside track on transfers? There's now a way you can get breaking news and the best reads sent straight to your device. By joining the Leeds United community on WhatsApp, you'll see the biggest and best stories as soon as they happen.
It's quick and easy to join. Just click this link and select 'Join Community' to get started.
No one else in the community will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the Leeds Live sports team. We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group'. You can read our Privacy Notice here.
The recruitment team are known to show clips that depict the size of Leeds and the atmosphere created by the fans to potential new recruits. If it ever gets to the stage where Diarra holds a meeting with United chiefs, they may bring up the Raphinha example as well.
There are other, more moderate, examples - to varying degrees of success - such as Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City and Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur. Now, it never sits well to label Leeds as a stepping stone, especially a club of this size and historicity.
But most supporters are realists and it is clear where United currently sit in the food chain. Nobody bemoaned any of the aforementioned three players when they left.
Raphinha celebrates scoring for Barcelona
Raphinha celebrates scoring for Barcelona (Image: Europa Press via Getty Images)
If Diarra helps United survive the drop and aids them on their way to becoming an established Premier League regular once again, nobody would hold a grudge if he then wanted a move to a bigger-hitter. That is the opportunity before him at Leeds.
As ever this summer, United will be on the backfoot if other Premier League clubs show concerted interest and can offer the same amount of game time assurances.
Chelsea, if interested, are the obvious danger given their same ownership - Todd Boehly’s BlueCo - while the likes of Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion are among a plethora of clubs to be linked.
Clearly, a player would rather go to a side not at risk of relegation over one that is. This will become a familiar challenge for Leeds this window.
Diarra’s entourage and their position on the player's long-term future is an obvious hurdle for United. But there are valid reasons why the midfielder should not snub at the idea of a move to Elland Road - game time probability being one, but Raphinha being the best.
Here at LeedsLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the bestLeeds Unitedcoverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest Leeds news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clickinghereto subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Clickhereto be sent all the day's biggest stories.