Report: Leeds think £15m man wants to join them this month

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Che Adams has struggled to adapt to the Premier League at Southampton and he would reportedly relish a return to the Championship under Marcelo Bielsa.

Leeds United are confident that Che Adams wants to seal a move to Elland Road this month, according to the Mirror, although Southampton are reluctant to let their £15 million misfit leave on loan.

Even the mysterious Marcelo Bielsa was happy to admit that a new striker is a must at Leeds before the transfer window shuts at the end of January.

With Eddie Nketiah returning to Arsenal some five months ahead of schedule, the Championship table-toppers have been left worryingly short in attack with Premier League promotion on the line. Adams, then, would be a brilliant addition on a short-term basis, even if he has failed to net since his big-money move to Southampton over the summer.

The winger-turned-striker has found the step up to the Premier League a difficult one but his tally of 22 goals in the Championship for Birmingham City last season suggests that he could forge a formidable partnership with Pablo Hernandez, Jack Harrison and co in West Yorkshire.

His pace and power, meanwhile, would make him a viable alternative to Patrick Bamford in attack.

According to the Mirror, Leeds are convinced that the Leicester-born former Sheffield United youngster is desperate to swap the south coast for a return to familiar surrounds in the north.

Adams might have his heart set on a move but convincing Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl may be a rather tougher challenge.

“I wouldn’t consider loaning him out, I need every player, especially in an attacking position as we don’t have many,” the former RB Leipzig boss told the Daily Echo at the start of the month.

Then again, a short-term spell at Elland Road could suit all parties down to the ground. Should Adams fill an Nketiah-shaped void and fire Leeds back to the promised land, he will no doubt return to St Mary’s at the end of the season with his confidence fully restored.