Leeds United have some serious work to do if they are to win the race for one of their top current targets.
Daniel Farke has three positions in which he is keen to strengthen before the end of the window, having already brought in four new faces.
Farke is keen to add to his full-back options with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hugo Bueno a target, while a new attack-minded central midfielder is also on the list.
Crysencio Summerville’s move to West Ham United over the weekend has also seen them enter the market for another winger.
Leeds are likely to start the season with Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James as the first choice pairing, but it goes without saying that the Championship’s POTS does need replacing.
- READ MORE: What Wilfried Gnonto has done in Leeds United training after Everton’s £23m bid was rejected
Leeds face serious Jesurun Rak-Sakyi fight
It would appear that Leeds’ top two targets to replace Summerville are Norwich City’s Jonathan Rowe and Crystal Palace’s Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Leeds have already seen a £7 million bid turned down by Norwich for Rowe and know a deal could be difficult to get done due to how much he could cost, and the fact he plays for a divisional rival.
While Rak-Sakyi would be a considerably cheaper deal, it does not make it any easier to complete given how many clubs are in the race to sign him.
Premier League side Southampton are prepared to pay £12 million to sign him permanently this summer, but Palace would prefer to loan him to the Championship.
Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Hull City and Lyon are just some of the clubs battling to beat Leeds to Rak-Sakyi, and according to Alan Nixon, a front-runner has emerged.
Nixon claims that QPR have made a very ‘serious bid’ to land Rak-Sakyi and are willing to meet Palace’s demands of paying both a loan fee and his wages in full.
Given Leeds’ interest in Rowe, it remains unclear how far they have gone to push for Rak-Sakyi, with a decision expected on his future this week.
- READ MORE: Junior Firpo says Leeds have a ‘special’ youngster that is going to be ‘really good’ this season
Why Rak-Sakyi could be a difficult deal for Leeds
Premier League loans is a market all Championship clubs look at but it is more difficult for Leeds to win these type of deals.
Given the vast array of quality in the squad, Leeds are simply unable to guarantee clubs that their players will be starting every week, which could put them off to sending them to Elland Road.
None of the interested sides in Rak-Sakyi are blessed with the level of quality Leeds already have out wide, and so he would certainly have to fight for his place.
Leeds are likely to run into the same issues when it comes to their interest in Bueno, too, given Firpo has that left-back spot on lock.
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