Leeds think they can sign 'one of the best in the league' for just £2.5m

SOCCER: NOV 28 MLS Cup Playoffs - Nashville SC at Philadelphia Union — Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Leeds United believe a deal can be agreed with MLS outfit Philadelphia Union to bring Kai Wagner to the Premier League for a bargain fee of £2.5 million, as reported by the Daily Mail.

You could have heard the groans from all the way in Huddersfield. With Junior Firpo and Stuart Dallas absent, Jesse Marsch was forced to turn to Pascal Struijk as an emergency left-back during Saturday’s league opener against Wolves at Elland Road.

By full time – following a hard-fought 2-1 win – those pre-match fears felt a little misplaced. The hulking Struijk certainly held his own on the flank, going about his business with an assured confidence at both ends of the pitch.

But, a centre-half by trade, the Belgian is not a genuine long-term solution to a long-running problem. Given Firpo’s sustained injury problems since arriving from Barcelona, it would be naïve in the extreme if Leeds were to risk going into a gruelling season with only one natural left-sided defender.

Leeds United want Kai Wagner from Philadelphia Union

So this is where Kai Wagner comes in.

An all-action, typically Jesse Marsch full-back; One the Leeds boss should know well due to his knowledge of MLS football. Former Schalke youngster Wagner is arguably the best left-back in all of America too, going from strength to strength at the Eastern Conference pacesetters.

And with Leeds confident that a £2.5 million bargain is there to be struck, the stocky 25-year-old would come cheaper than Stoke City’s Josh Tymon and PSV Eindhoven’s Philipp Max. Like both players, he is a reliable source of creativity from the left-hand side.

An excellent crosser of the ball and a set-piece threat, Wagner has five assists from 24 MLS appearances this season.

“Kai has been one of the best left-backs in our league since he arrived,” says Union coach Jim Curtin. “And we believe he is still far from his ceiling. We ask our defenders to dominate an entire flank by themselves. And Kai continually shows he is up to the challenge.”

According to The Mail, Leeds will face competition from Dinamo Zagreb and Benfica. The Portuguese giants are in the market for a left-back with Alex Grimaldo’s future uncertain.