Leeds United’s summer transfer business is now in full swing.
Lukas Nmecha is their first official surprise capture, with the news coming out of the blue that the former Manchester City striker will link up with Daniel Farke’s men after his Wolfsburg contract expired.
The newly promoted Whites don’t look to be content with just Nmecha joining the building to improve their attacking potency, however, with Leeds chasing down the services of Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz as well.
Leeds enter advanced talks for £29m striker
It remains to be seen whether the club’s pursuit of Muniz goes on to be a success story – considering Fulham have already turned down a whopping £32m approach.
However, Leeds are now reportedly setting their sights elsewhere in attempting to further bolster their centre-forward options.
As per a new report from Sky Italia – which has been relayed by Sport Witness – Leeds have now submitted a significant bid in the £29m range for the services of US Lecce star Nikola Krstovic.
The report states that Krstovic may need some convincing to relocate to England, with the Serie A hotshot perhaps waiting it out, instead of jumping at the Whites’ advances, for a move to come his way up the Italian top division.
At this stage, however, no Serie A outfit has expressed an interest in the Montenegro international, with Leeds perhaps in the driver’s seat now over a deal if their bid is to be believed.
How Krstovic compares to Nmecha & Muniz
Amazingly, despite just landing Nmecha, Leeds could win an instant upgrade on the German by the 25-year-old’s arrival through the door.
Moreover, if the Cottagers aren’t willing to budge on Muniz, Krstovic might be deemed as a dream alternative to the pricey Brazilian, with the Lecce number 9 a constant source of entertainment in Serie A last season.
Between them last campaign in league action, Nmecha and Muniz powered home a combined 11 goals, with the in-demand Fulham man doing a lot of the heavy lifting with a hefty eight coming from him alone.
Krstovic would manage that amount just on his own when leading the line for Lecce in Serie A, whilst also managing to find himself on the scoresheet in Coppa Italia action for his relegation-threatened outfit.
Games played
37
19
31
Goals scored
11
3
8
Assists
5
0
1
Shots*
3.7
1.1
1.3
Shots on target*
1.1
0.5
0.6
Big chances missed
9
5
5
Big chances created
5
0
1
Total duels won*
4.9
2.1
3.7
Of course, the Lecce attacker did start a lot more games for his Italian employers last season in the league, but when it comes to looking at all their respective statistics side-by-side, only one individual looks ready to lead the line for Leeds week in week out, and that’s Krstovic.
The 25-year-old immediately sticks out with more goals and assists next to his name, but when you delve even deeper, he also shines brighter when winning more duels on average and also creating more big chances as a valued teammate.
Additionally, the Serie A gem wouldn’t feel too fazed by the prospect of being a marksman that Leeds have to rely on to push to safety, with a remarkable 11 of Lecce’s 27 overall league strikes last season – as the Italian minnows just finished above the relegation zone in 17th – coming courtesy of the dangerous Montenegrin.
For £3m cheaper than Muniz, it’s a no-brainer to go after this striker target instead of chasing after the expensive Fulham man, with Krstovic even previously being hailed as possessing a “hunger for goals” by one of his former bosses in Roberto D’Aversa.
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