Leeds United reportedly now have a ‘great chance’ to sign New York City forward Valentin Castellanos in the summer.
The Lowdown: Castellanos links
The Whites have been linked with a move for the 23-year-old in recent days after the club failed to make a senior signing in the January window.
Reports have suggested that Leeds have contacted the representatives of Castellanos and are willing to pay £10.3m for the forward who has been hailed as ‘top-class’ by manager Ronny Deila.
Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the Argentine has scored 49 goals during his career and is also wanted by teams back in his native country.
The Latest: Transfer update
Sports Witness relayed updates from two reliable Argentine sources, TyC Sports and journalist Cesar Luis Merlo in a story on Wednesday.
They suggested that River Plate’s attempts to sign Castellanos have now collapsed, with New York City now set to improve the forward’s contract before looking to sell to a club in Europe over the summer, labelling it as a ‘great chance’ for Leeds to ‘go after him’.
The Verdict: Shrewd target?
Castellanos is primarily a centre-forward who can also play on either wing and appears to be a clever target for Marcelo Bielsa’s side due to this versatility.
The Whites have struggled in front of goal without Patrick Bamford for the majority of the season, with wide man Raphinha the top scorer on eight goals.
The likes of Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts have struggled to contribute massively in terms of goals in a central area, scoring three times in the Premier League combined.
Therefore, adding more firepower in the summer could be a wise move by Victor Orta and co, and it seems as if they will have a chance to sign Castellanos in the summer – they may even already have a head start after contacting the player’s agent.
In other news: Huge behind-the-scenes claim now emerges regarding key Leeds man before Man Utd.
