Leeds United want Mandela Keita and are understood to have made contact for the OH Leuven defensive midfielder.
That is according to claims from Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad and their reporter David van den Broeck.
It’s suggested that Leeds have already registered their interested in signing Keita this summer.
The reports add that Championship duo Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City are also interested in signing Keita.
Leeds will have the upper hand for now as a Premier League club, but their status isn’t completely secure just yet.
Add in that Blackburn and Norwich still have ambitions of reaching the Premier League and this could become a real battle.
Keita is currently on loan at Royal Antwerp from Belgian rivals OH Leuven, who are a partner club of Leicester City.
Who is Leeds United target Mandela Keita?
Keita has been in the OH Leuven ranks since all the way back in 2009.
Keita made his key up into the first-team picture at OH Leuven and made 39 first-team appearances.
A holding midfielder by trade, Keita attracted interest last summer but stayed with OH Leuven before a January loan move to Antwerp.
Het Nieuwsblad note that Antwerp can turn the move permanent for around €10million (£8.8million).
That’s a decent outlay for Antwerp, who have been showing their ambition in recent times and currently have the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Vincent Janssen in their squad.
Keita has turned out 10 times for Antwerp so far, tasting defeat just once since his arrival.
The Belgium Under-21 international – who can also play for Guinea – is an interesting prospect.
Keita was branded as a ‘mix of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante’ over in Belgium last year having excelled at breaking up play and carrying the ball forward.
This deal may hinge on Leeds’ relegation fate but Victor Orta may well have found a real talent to push Tyler Adams in holding midfield.
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