Leeds United start their Premier League season on Monday with a home game against Everton, but right now Daniel Farke’s side are looking slightly unprepared.
Leeds United concluded their pre-season last weekend with a 1-1 draw against Milan in a friendly game in Dublin.
The Whites have looked fairly steady in pre-season with Daniel Farke having signed seven new players. And the seven new signings at Leeds United look like solid signings, with Anton Stack looking particularly impressive in pre-season games so far.
But there remain some glaring holes in the side, in particular in attack. Leeds United still want more attacking signings before the September 1st deadline, with a new striker now looking like the main priority for Farke.
It comes after Mateo Joseph’s loan move to RCD Mallorca was confirmed last week, leaving options in the first-team in attack very thin on the ground.
Already, Leeds United have been linked with a number of new strikers. One such striker is Artem Dovbyk at Roma.
Artem Dovbyk in Roma pre-season training.
Photo by Luciano Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images
Leeds United still pushing for Artem Dovbyk
The latest on Leeds United’s striker search comes from Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla. He has revealed on X that Leeds United are raiding the Italian top flight for a new striker this summer with three on their radar, although two have already knocked back a potential move to Elland Road.
Pedulla reiterates that Leeds United have already received rejections from Sassuolo’s Andrea Pinamonti and Lecce’s Nikola Krstovic too. However, Pedulla adds that Leeds United are in turn making an attempt to sign Dovbyk from Roma.
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Pedulla’s post translates to: “The #Leeds tries again in Serie A after receiving rejections from #Krstovic and Pinamonti. Attempt for #Dovbyk, it would be paradoxical if it went through because it could free up a spot for Roma precisely for Krstovic, who had said no to Leeds.”
Dovbyk has been linked with Leeds United for a number of weeks now and Pedulla labels a potential move to West Yorkshire as ‘paradoxical’, as it would free up a space in the Roma side for the Italian giants to then sign Krstovic from Lecce.
However, last season Dovbyk scored 12 goals in 32 Serie A games for Roma following his £32million move from Girona the previous summer. Roma are understood to want a fee of £35m to sell Dovbyk this summer.
Leeds United’s striker search hones in on Artem Dovbyk and four others
Whilst Dovbyk appears like an active target for Leeds United, we have been told that there are four other strikers currently being monitored at Elland Road right now. Speaking to Leeds United News recently, transfer expert Graeme Bailey shared the latest on Leeds United’s striker search.
He confirmed that Rodrigo Muniz remains Leeds United’s number one striker target, though the race for the Fulham forward doesn’t seem to be limited to just Leeds United with interest from Europe and elsewhere in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, another Serie A striker in Mehdi Taremi is liked by Leeds United, as well as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Josh Sargent at Norwich City.
Bailey explained: “Rodrigo Muniz remains Leeds’ number one choice centre-forward, whilst Mehdi Taremi and Josh Sargent are also options being discussed internally. However, Calvert-Lewin is also someone they remain hugely keen on. He is the right sort of profile.”
Right now, it looks like Joel Piroe will lead the line for Leeds against Everton in the season opener on Monday.
Whilst there is still time for Leeds United to sign a striker or two this summer, Farke really needs to get a move on as an injury to one of Piroe or Lukas Nmecha would leave the striker position extremely light, with the current options also lacking any Premier League experience as it is.
Leeds United’s game against Everton kicks off at 8pm on Monday.