Leeds United have made a move to sign Fortuna Dusseldorf midfielder Ao Tanaka as Daniel Farke chases late signings.
Ao Tanaka is wanted at Leeds United with Fortuna Dusseldorf considering selling the Japanese international.
That is according to German newspaper Bild, who claim that Leeds have made a ‘first offer’ to try and sign Tanaka.
It’s stated that Stuttgart recently offered €2.7million (£2.3million) to sign Tanaka.
Stuttgart wanted Tanaka to bolster their midfield after losing his Japan teammate Wataru Endo to Liverpool.
They couldn’t agree a deal with Fortuna though and moved on to sign Angelo Stiller from Hoffenheim instead.
That leaves the path clear for Leeds to swoop in for Tanaka, and their offer is understood to be higher than Stuttgart’s.
Fortuna are ‘still haggling’ over the final price for Tanaka but it’s suggested that he could secure his move in the coming days.
Tanaka wanted to join Stuttgart but will seemingly take his chances in the Championship instead with Leeds moving in.
Who is Leeds United target Ao Tanaka?
Tanaka emerged in the ranks of hometown club Kawasaki Frontale and became a first-team star.
Tanaka won the J1 League title alongside Kaoru Mitoma and Reo Hatate with Kawasaki Frontale before heading to Germany in 2021.
An initial season-long loan move became permanent in 2022 and Tanaka has become a key player for Fortuna.
Tanaka has now picked up 19 caps for Japan, bagging three goals in the process.
The 24-year-old has played as a holding midfielder and as a box-to-box player, giving Farke options in the middle if Leeds do get a deal done.
Leeds fans may be excited to hear that the official Bundesliga website have compared Tanaka’s style of play to that of Jude Bellingham.
If Tanaka can even be a fraction of the player Bellingham has become then Leeds will be onto an absolute winner here.
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