Leeds United have been closely linked with RC Lens central midfielder Seko Fofana over the previous 12 months, and with the January switch window now open, it might seem a particularly sensible transfer for Victor Orta to reignite his curiosity within the Ivory Coast worldwide this winter.
Certainly, again in January 2022, Foot Mercato editor-in-chief Sebastien Denis took to Twitter to disclose that each the Whites and Newcastle United had been serious about a £17m transfer for the 27-year-old, whereas Newcastle World relayed additional studies from France in April which additionally claimed that Leeds, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur had been within the midfielder.
Moreover, following a variety of studies linking Arsenal with the eight-cap worldwide again in November, Italian switch insider Fabrizio Romano revealed in a column for CaughtOffside that a variety of Premier League golf equipment stay serious about Fofana forward of the winter window, with the Ligue 1 aspect believed to worth the midfielder at round €40m (£35m).
And, contemplating the somewhat outstanding type the previous Manchester Metropolis expertise has been in for Lens thus far within the present marketing campaign, it might not be shocking to see the Whites’ Spanish director of soccer as soon as once more take a vested curiosity in bringing the midfielder to Elland Highway this winter.
Certainly, over his 15 Ligue 1 appearances thus far this season, the £26.5m-rated expertise has been in incredible type going forwards, having already scored three targets, registered three assists and created 4 huge possibilities for his teammates, along with taking a median of two.2 pictures, making 1.1 key passes and finishing 1.5 dribbles – at a hit charge of 61% – per sport.
The £30.5k-per-week playmaker has additionally impressed in metrics extra typical of his place, having fun with a median of 63.8 touches of the ball per fixture, in addition to making a median of 0.8 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and finishing 45.3 passes – at a hit charge of 90% – per match.
These returns have seen the participant who Get France Soccer Information head of content material Adam White dubbed each “relentless” and “unimaginable” common a merely sensational Sofascore match score of 7.12, not solely rating him as Franck Haise’s fourth-best performer within the league but in addition because the Thirty fifth-best participant within the French prime flight as a complete this time period.
And, with Leeds having considerably struggled for creativity and targets from central midfield within the Premier League this season – with Marc Roca, Tyler Adams, Adam Forshaw and Mateusz Klich having scored one purpose and offered one help mixed – it’s clear to see {that a} extra attack-minded possibility in the midst of the park could be very a lot wanted at Elland Highway.
As such, it might certainly seem a particularly sensible transfer for Orta to reignite his curiosity in Fofana this month, because the Ivorian “phenom” – within the phrases of Zach Lowy – would undoubtedly signify an unimaginable addition to the Whites’ present central midfielders – particularly for a really inexpensive payment of £35m.
