It is becoming quite clear that Leeds United are prioritising a new goalkeeper and a new striker this summer, two positions the club have identified as key in obtaining survival next season.
Leeds are set to miss out on Caoimhin Kelleher, with Brentford agreeing an £18m deal to land the Irish goalkeeper from Liverpool. Leeds have quickly switched their attention to Newcastle stopper Nick Pope.
Up top, Leeds have been linked with a huge amount of new strikers. Over the weekend, the latest name touted with Leeds is Rennes’ Arnaud Kalimuendo, a player Jesse Marsch made a bid for while at Leeds.
But another on the Leeds radar is Montenegro striker Nikola Krstovic. The Lecce forward starred for his side in Serie A last season, having a hand in 16 Serie A goals – with Lecce only managing 27 all season.
Photo by Gabriele Maricchiolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Gabriele Maricchiolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Leeds receive boost in Nikola Krstovic race as Roma struggle
Plenty is going on at Roma, a club Leeds have been involved with in recent years thanks to loan deals for Diego Llorente and Rasmus Kristensen. They have just appointed a new manager and sporting director.
Igli Tare arrives from Lazio upstairs while Max Allegri replaces Claudio Ranieri. Roma have been strongly linked with Krstovic with Leeds, but Roma Press say Roma are unwilling to meet Krstovic’s £25m price tag.
Other Italian clubs have been linked with Krstovic, who laid on a crucial assist on the final day of the Serie A season to keep Lecce up. Leeds and Roma are heavily linked and the latest news is a boost for Leeds.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Nikola Krstovic has been compared to Milan icon Filippo Inzaghi
Filippo Inzaghi is a legend in Italy and certainly with Milan, even if brother Simone Inzaghi is currently manager at Inter. A 57-time Italy striker, that scored 126 goals in 300 games for Milan over a decade.
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Current Empoli manager Roberto D’Aversa was the man to bring Krstovic to Italy in 2023. He is quoted by NogoMania as saying that Krstovic reminds him of Inzaghi, speaking before this season’s stunning form.
“Every ball in the box seems to magnetically find him. His style, his hunger for goals, it all reminds me of the great Pippo Inzaghi,” D’Aversa once said about Krstovic and now, Leeds have a clear path to sign him.