A leading Leeds United transfer target has been left out of his side’s starting line-up as links to a £30 million transfer to the Premier League gather pace.
Daniel Farke is now fully aware of the size of the task facing his Leeds United side after they fell to a humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal.
Although Leeds’ inability to keep the ball out of their net helped the Gunners claim a comfortable win, the Whites’ profligacy in possession stemmed from their attack as Joel Piroe was peripheral in the first hour of the game.
The defeat highlighted the need to add quality to the Leeds forward line, following links to Christantus Uche of Getafe, among others, in recent days.
“Electric” Strasbourg forward Daline Bakwa is another reported Leeds target, with the Whites facing competition from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest for his signature. Now, Bakwa has been left on the bench for Strasbourg’s most recent fixture, as links with a move to England gather pace.
Dilane Bakwa dribbles the ball in a game for Strasbourg.
Photo by Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Leeds United target Daline Bakwa does not start for Strasbourg
Strasbourg face Nantes in a game which could be dubbed the Leeds United Transfer Target derby, as Dilane Bakwa is forced to feature from the bench.
Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior has made Bakwa a peripheral figure in recent weeks, picking him as a substitute for his side’s opening Ligue 1 fixture of the season against Metz and their Conference League game against Brondby.
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Bakwa could swap notes with FC Nantes’ Matthis Abline, who has also been linked with a move to Elland Road this summer.
Nantes boss Luis Castro has previously admitted that he is preparing for life without his French under-21 international, who has also been linked with Stade Rennais.
Abline has also been relegated to the bench for the Canaries, who are looking to cash in on their prized asset before the summer transfer window closes on the first of September.
Bakwa has seen his minutes drastically cut as sale rumours loom
The news that Dilane Bakwa will start from the bench for the third successive fixture will only add fuel to the fire of reports linking him with a move away from the club as the transfer window draws to a close.
According to the stats from FotMob, Bakwa played a total of 2,509 minutes in Ligue 1 last season across a total of 30 appearances in the French top flight, at an average of 83.6 minutes per game.
Dilane Bakwa’s average minutes per game:
2023/24 – 70.5 (31 appearances)
2024/25 – 83.6 (30 appearances)
202/26 – 30 (3 appearances)
This follows 2,186 minutes in 31 appearances in 2023/24, at an average of 70.5 minutes per game. By contrast, in his three appearances this season, Bakwa has been introduced around the hour mark as he looks set to leave the club.