Leeds United have agreed a fee to sign Standard Liege midfielder Nicolas Raskin, with the deal believed to be worth around £6million.
That’s according to The Sunday Mirror (16/01, p73), who claim that Leeds are on the verge of signing Raskin.
It’s stated that a deal is now in place with Standard and Leeds will be paying £6million to bring Raskin to England.
The idea is that Raskin will add real depth in the middle of the park, especially with Kalvin Phillips currently out injured.
Adam Forshaw has impressed this season but Mateusz Klich has been up and down and new, young blood as needed in the middle of the park.
Raskin absolutely fits the bill, with the 20-year-old shining in Belgium and having huge potential for the future.
Born in Liege, Raskin did start his career at Standard before moving on to Anderlecht in 2015. After two years there, Raskin spent the same amount of time at Gent.
Raskin returned to Standard in 2019, and has now recorded three goals and seven assists in 67 games.
Capable of playing as a box-to-box midfielder or deep-lying playmaker, Raskin fits the adaptable mould that Leeds want from a midfielder.
In 2020, Belgian journalist Bob Faesen told Herald Scotland that Raskin is a ‘pitbull’ in midfield, praising his work on and off the ball.
Some may recall that ‘pitbull’ was the nickname given to Chilean midfielder Gary Medel, formerly of Cardiff City and Sevilla.
Guess who Medel played for on the international stage? That’s right – Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa.
That may not sound all that important, but Bielsa has a type. He loves players who can take care of the ball, but they have to put in the work off the ball too.
Raskin seems like he can do both, and at just 20 years of age, Leeds could end up having a real bargain on their hands at just £6million.
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