Leeds United could be about to enter a five-way transfer battle for a highly-sought after attacker this summer.
The Whites, Celtic, Ipswich Town, West Ham and Everton are all said to have been ‘credited with an interest’ in a deal for one of the most prolific players in England over the last 12 months.
Marquee additions to their front-line are likely to be hot on the agenda at Elland Road in the coming weeks as speculation continues to grow on their big-name stars.
Crysencio Summerville is wanted by Rennes, Chelsea and a host of other clubs, while his best friend Wilfried Gnonto is the subject of a 10 way transfer fight too.
Losing both in the same summer would be monumental blows for Leeds, given they scored a combined total of 27 goals in the Championship last season.
Leeds interested in deal for Sammie Szmodics
Summerville’s all-round game at this level will practically be irreplaceable for Leeds, and so they may have to bring in multiple attackers to deal with the loss of his skillset.
Not only will his pace and dribbling need replacing, but more importantly his goals, given that he netted 19 across the 2023/24 campaign, winning the Championship POTS.
But one player who could fill the void left by his goals is Blackburn Rovers star Sammie Szmodics, who was just one of just two players to score more than him last season, with 27.
Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has urged Leeds to get a deal done for Szmodics, and according to Planet Sport, they are interested.
As mentioned, it is said Leeds will battle Celtic, West Ham, Ipswich and Everton for the 28-year-old, who is valued at £15 million by Blackburn, as per the Sun.
Any deal, however, is likely to rest on the outcome of contract talks with Blackburn, and if he does become available, Leeds will have to beat off plenty of top-flight interest.
- READ MORE: How Everton feel their chances are of being able to sign Wilfried Gnonto from Leeds United
Szmodics makes Summerville claim amid Leeds interest
There wasn’t anyone better than Summerville in the Championship last season, and that is something Szmodics acknowledges.
On YouTuber Still Ryan’s channel in a clip posted on X, Szmodics was asked to punch – with a boxing glove – the presenter when he heard the name of a better player, of which Joel Piroe, Summerville, Adam Armstrong and more were among them.
While Szmodics believes he is a better player than Piroe, he certainly had a much different response when it came to Summerville.
He said: “Great player. 10 times better than me.”
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