Leeds United have less than 24 hours to complete any deals that they would like to get done before the end of the January transfer window, which closes for business this evening.
So far, the Whites have only brought in Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, and he has come off the bench in his first two appearances in the Premeir League.
facundo-buonanotte-leeds
It had been reported on Sunday that the club were still at the table to secure a last-gasp move for Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-forward Jorgen Strand Larsen, but the story has moved on since then.
Why Leeds will not be signing Strand Larsen on deadline day
Crystal Palace agreed a deal worth up to £48m to sign the Norway international from Wolves over the weekend, and he is now set to replace Jean-Philippe Mateta at Selhurst Park.
Strand Larsen, who scored 14 goals in the Premier League last season, has only scored one goal from 3.01 xG in the top-flight in the current campaign, and a fee of almost £48m would have been a risky outlay for the Whites, given his struggles in front of goal.
Spending a club-record fee on a player whose goal return has regressed significantly would have been a questionable decision by Leeds, especially at this point in the window, and that is why they should not be too disappointed to miss out on him.
jorgen-strand-larsen-wolves
It had been reported that they were willing to pay £40m to land the towering centre-forward, but Palace simply offered £8m more and are now set to make him their new number nine.
The club's pursuit of Strand Larsen shows that Daniel Farke is interested in adding a new number nine to his squad to compete with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, so they should consider one of their other targets as an alternative.
The striker Leeds should sign instead of Strand Larsen
Over the weekend, it was reported that Leeds were one of a number of clubs who have been offered the chance to sign former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran, who is currently on loan at Fenerbahce from Al-Nassr.
Aston Villa sold the striker to Al-Nassr for a fee of £64m in 2025 and he enjoyed a strong start to life in Saudi Arabia, with 12 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions, before a return to Europe with Fenerbahce.
Duran rose to prominence during his time in England with the Villans, scoring 20 goals in 78 matches, and he has scored goals pretty much everywhere he has been.
U23 scout Antonio Mango described the Colombia international as a "cheat code" whilst he was at Aston Villa, and it is easy to understand why when you watch goals like the one in the clip above.
He is a prolific goalscorer who also has the ability to create opportunities for himself by scoring brilliant goals from distance, which is a valuable trait to have in a relegation battle, as he has the quality to decide tight matches.
25/26 Super Lig Jhon Duran
Appearances 10
Starts 6
xG 1.91
Goals 3
xA 1.33
Assists 2
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above Duran has not had too many opportunities to impress in the Super Lig this season, with just six starts under his belt, but he has produced a goal contribution every other appearance on average.
Aston Villa, Al-Nassr, and now Fenerbahce. The Colombian striker has a proven track record of providing goals and assists when he is fit and available to play games, and on a consistent basis.
Al Nassr's Jhon Duran reacts
Strand Larsen, however, has only scored one league goal this season and has shown inconsistency in his play in the final third across his 18 months in England, which is why he would have been a very risky addition to the squad.
Duran's proven record of goals in multiple countries, including England, suggests that he would be a phenomenal signing for Leeds if they can get a deal over the line before the deadline slams shut later today.
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Now, it is down to the board to agree a deal with Al-Nassr to bring the Colombian marksman back to the Premier League for a second spell in the division.