Leeds would be making a huge mistake to let Zach Clough move elsewhere without making a bid of their own for the Bolton striker

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The Bolton youngster has been attracting plenty of attention from other Championship sides recently.

Leeds may face an uphill battle if they decided to try and convince Bolton Wanderers prospect Zach Clough to make the move to Elland Road given some of the sides that are reportedly chasing his signature, but they would unquestionably be making a mistake if they let the youngster move elsewhere without at least making a bid.

The 20-year-old has struggled for goals this term – with just three strikes in 13 league appearances – but his overall record is impressive for a player of his age. In 21 league games, he has scored eight goals, and that strike-rate should only improve with experience.

His biggest strength is his finishing ability, which should be something that immediately puts him on Steve Evans’ radar.

Against Sheffield Wednesday, Evans watched his side squander a couple of golden chances during the first-half at Hillsborough. And they were punished as the Owls went on to win the game 2-0.

The club’s three most established strikers – Chris Wood, Mirco Antenucci and Souleymane Doukara – have all been guilty of failing to convert fantastic chances this season, and that has been a factor behind the side’s inability to win any of their last five league matches.

Clough is certainly not the finished article yet, but given that the Whites’ play-off hopes are looking extremely bleak, signing him during this window is the seemingly perfect option.

A move now would allow the striker to adapt to his new surroundings and the system with which Leeds play without the pressure of needing to hit the ground running. A run in the side would arguably get the prospect up to speed ready for next season, when they arguably have a better chance of going after the top six.

Another reason that United would have to make a move during this window is the situation regarding his current club. Bolton are rooted to the bottom of the table, and have genuine administration concerns looming over them (via Daily Mail).

Their financial situation was the most likely reason why they accepted a £2m bid from Bristol City (via Mail), when the forward should arguably command a much larger fee.

While he ultimately rejected the move to the Robins (via Sky Sports), it seems unlikely that Clough will remain with Bolton beyond this month. The Mail previously reported that Middlesbrough, Birmingham and Wolves were also interested.

And while it may prove difficult to convince Clough to turn down a move to either Middlesbrough – who currently top the Championship, and appear well on course for promotion to the Premier League – or play-off chasers Birmingham, Leeds simply have to make an offer in the hope that he can be convinced that Elland Road is the best place for his career development.

Evans will not have many chances to land an exciting, young striker – with a decent record to show for the start of his career – for just £2m, which is assuming that Bolton are still willing to accept offers of that value.

And with Leeds reportedly pocketing around £3.7m from the sale of Sam Byram (via The Guardian), the Whites simply have no excuses not to get the chequebook out and match Bristol City’s accepted offer.