Leeds reportedly want £21m star who Marcelo Bielsa signed in 2017; better pass rate than Phillips

Follow us on Google Discover

Boubakary Soumare only spent a few short weeks alongside Marcelo Bielsa in 2017 but he obviously made quite an impression on his former Lille boss.

Because, four years on, the former Paris Saint-Germain youngster is in line for a reunion with one of European football’s most influential tacticians, to the tune of £21 million.

Bielsa has a memory longer than an African elephant. And, when he finds a player he likes, he doesn’t forget him in a hurry.

According to the Daily Mail, Bielsa’s Leeds United sent scouts to watch Soumare in action during Friday’s Ligue 1 derby clash between Lens and Lille. And, while the 22-year-old didn’t hog the headlines on Saturday morning – that honour went to two-goal hero Burak Yilmaz – Soumare’s role in a potentially title-deciding 3-0 win shouldn’t be understated.

The France U21 international completed 92 per cent of his passes on the night, competing three tackles, five interceptions and even setting up one of Lille’s three goals (WhoScored).

In short, it was a display of all-round excellence from a player who can do it all. No wonder Bielsa, a coach who demands energy and efficiency, aggression, vision, skill and precision from his central midfielders, is keen to share a dressing room with Soumare again.

The Mail reports Everton also had scouts in attendance at Lens, while Newcastle United are back in for a player they failed to sign for a club-record fee in January 2020.

Leicester City, however, appear to be at the front of the queue, opening talks over a deal that would set them back about £21 million.

And, while Leicester can put the prospect of Champions League football on the table, the lure of Bielsa means Leeds can’t be ruled out of the discussion.

Could you imagine Rodrigo Moreno, Raphinha and Diego Llorente joining a newly promoted club if Bielsa wasn’t at the helm?

Soumare may have been labelled the ‘new Paul Pogba” but, in truth, he’s more a midfielder in the Kalvin Phillips mould. He even boasts a better pass completion rate than Leeds’ home-grown hero.

And while the likes of Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk have done a fine job in Phillips’ absence this season, Soumare would be a square peg in a square hole, a more natural solution for Leeds’ injury-enforced defensive-midfield issues.