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Report: Leeds United linked with £13m move for 12-goal summer target

Marcelo Bielsa manager of Leeds United squats during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leeds United and Reading at Elland Road on February 22,...
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Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds could spend big if they secure a Premier League place with Metz’s Ligue 1 striker Habib Diallo a top target.

Metz' Senegalese forward Habib Diallo (C) celebrates after scoring during the French L1 football match between Metz (FCM) and Nantes (FCN) at Saint Symphorien stadium in Longeville-les-...

Leeds United are willing to invest £13 million in Habib Diallo, according to Le Quotidien du Foot, as they look to lure the Metz striker across the Channel during the summer transfer window.

The global health pandemic could hardly have come at a worse time for Marcelo Bielsa’s side. Almost immediately after The Whites replaced West Brom at the top of the Championship table, a season which looked all-but certain to end in promotion was postponed indefinitely.

So Leeds face an agonising wait to discover when, or if, the 2019/20 campaign will return with just nine games potentially separating themselves from the Premier League.

And it seems that the West Yorkshire giants are still putting plans in place ahead of what is likely to be a summer of heavy spending – if they do secure their place back in the promised land, that is.

Metz' Senegalese forward Habib Diallo (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the French L1 football match between Metz (FCM) and Nantes (FCN) at Saint Symphorien stadium in...

Le Quotidien du Foot reported last week that Leeds were hoping to beat the likes of Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester City to the sought-after signature of Diallo. And the same publication has now suggested that the sleeping giants of English football are hoping that a bid of £13 million would be enough.

A Senegalese international who has shot to fame with 12 goals in Ligue 1 this season, Diallo is exactly the kind of aggressive, physical targetman who should suit Bielsa’s lone-striker system down to the ground.

And with Leeds also committed to signing Jean-Kevin Augustin on a permanent basis from RB Leipzig, it remains to be seen what this all means for current number nine Patrick Bamford.

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE - February 5: Habib Diallo #20 of Metz during the Montpellier V Metz, French Ligue 1 regular season match at Stade de la Mosson on February 5th 2020 in Montpellier,...