Leeds United were looking at Nelson Oliveira during the previous summer transfer window, but decided against a move.
The report comes less than a year after the Yorkshire Post reported that Leeds had been taking a look at the Portuguese, before Victor Orta instead decided to pursue a loan move for Pierre-Michel Lasogga.
Oliveira has enjoyed another decent season in the Championship, and with Lasogga’s loan deal now at an end, it begs the question, could Leeds be tempted to make another move for the 26-year-old during the coming months?
If Lasogga returns to Hamburg, Paul Heckingbottom’s need to get more strikers through the door increases even further. Kemar Roofe finished as the side’s leading goalscorer and Lasogga achieved a respectable return, but neither went throughout the campaign without considerable criticism.
And with the likes of Jay-Roy Grot and Caleb Ekuban getting even more flak following their first seasons in England, the Elland Road faithful would be forgiven for expecting at least one new striker to arrive during the upcoming window.
Oliveira’s return since moving into England’s second tier is not game-changing by any stretch – 28 goals across three seasons for a player who has not started more than 26 games in a campaign in that time – but it is a solid tally from a player that Orta has had his eye on in the past.
The fact that he boasts Championship experience – something, quite remarkably, none of Leeds’ current crop had before they arrived at Elland Road – is surely another tick in the box after a year of several deals that were always going to be gambles.
Leeds fans will be hoping for some real statements of intent during the coming months with Orta being written off by many supporters. Oliveira may not be a marquee target, but given Orta’s previous interest and the fact that he is now reportedly available, perhaps it would be little surprise if Leeds had another look at the striker at some stage.
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