Leeds United have internally "discussed" a deal for Liverpool winger Ben Doak this summer, who would likely cost more than £20 million, according to The Athletic's Beren Cross.
Last season, Daniel Farke led Leeds back to the Premier League at the second time of asking, earning promotion from the Championship as champions of the league. The Whites, alongside Burnley and Sunderland, will be aiming to end the recent trend of promoted teams making an immediate return to the second tier.
Leeds have, at the time of writing, made seven additions to their squad ahead of the new campaign. Lucas Perri has joined as their new number one, whilst Sebastiaan Bornauw, Jaka Bijol and Gabriel Gudmundsson have been recruited to bolster the defence. Striker Lukas Nmecha has also signed, as have midfield duo Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach.
It is clear that the Whites are targeting attacking depth, having lost to Marseille in a battle for Igor Paixao’s services. Now, it would seem that Leeds have identified an alternative to the Brazilian.
Leeds Want to Sign Doak
Ben Doak in action for Scotland
Now 19 years old, Ben Doak has been regarded as a highly promising talent since joining Liverpool from Celtic in 2022. The Scottish international made a handful of appearances for the Reds before joining Middlesbrough on loan for the 2024/25 season.
Prior to injury, Doak was considered one of the Championship’s best wingers for his displays. For all of his potential, though, the youngster may struggle for consistent minutes at Anfield, especially behind the likes of Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah to name just two of Doak’s competitors.
The Whites currently have four senior options for their wide positions: Willy Gnonto, Largie Ramazani, Dan James and Jack Harrison. The future of the latter is far from settled, however, and recruiting Doak, who has been dubbed “unplayable,” would ensure that Leeds still had depth and quality out wide, even if Harrison eventually leaves.
Though Doak is not, at least yet, at the level of a player such as Paixao, the Scot has a staggeringly high ceiling and with regular football, could certainly develop into a superstar. Liverpool are evidently well-aware of this, as they would reportedly not let Doak go for anything less than £20 million.
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