Graham Smyth shares what Leeds United sources have told him about Habib Diarra pursuit

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Habib Diarra has emerged as a target for Leeds United this summer, with the RC Strasbourg captain the subject of a bid.

Leeds United are in the process of signing players for the Premier League and Diarra has emerged as a £22 million target for Leeds.

Strasbourg qualified for the UEFA Conference League next season under the stewardship of Liam Rosenior, who made Diarra his 21-year-old captain for the current season.

Part-owned by Chelsea, the Ligue 1 outfit have a number of high potential assets at their disposal. Diarra is just one of those, having featured in 30 of their 34 league games this season, scoring four and assisting five in the process.

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Graham Smyth’s verdict on Leeds’ first moves to sign Habib Diarra

Primarily a box-to-box or attacking midfielder, Diarra is renowned for his pressing and intensity off the ball. His position does not necessarily reflect the best aspects of his profile.

However, due to his overall quality, he could become expensive to sign and the deal is not likely to be an easy one for Leeds to complete.

It means it could cost well in excess of the initial bid of £22 million. This has been expressed by Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post.

He states: “Whilst Leeds are obviously keen to bring him to England, they currently rate a number of other midfield targets as more likely than the 21-year-old.”

He does not state that acquiring Diarra is impossible, but that other options are more viable. Leeds may need to up their opening bid or to fend off other interest to secure Diarra’s services.

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Where would Diarra play? – Leeds United News sources have learnt the latest

Having operated as more of an advanced midfielder last season — even sometimes as a No.10 — it’s fair to speculate that he could be a Brenden Aaronson replacement.

However, Leeds United News sources have been told that the club see the midfielder as more of a box-to-box player or deeper than as the most advanced midfielder in a trio

That could mean added competition to both Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu at the base of midfield, or could mean that they are deployed together as a midfield trio in a 4-3-3 system.

That’s only if a move for Diarra materialises, with plenty of obstacles still to overcome for Leeds to get a deal like this over the line.