Leeds United reportedly have five days to activate their option on Jerry Mbakogu.
Leeds United have presented Marcelo Bielsa as their new manager today, and the Argentinian may well be a part of a major transfer decision inside his first few days in the job.
Bielsa, 62, accepted the Leeds job earlier this month and has arrived as Paul Heckingbottom’s replacement, with the legendary boss speaking to the media for the first time this afternoon.
The attention will soon turn to transfers and who Bielsa can bring to Elland Road, with a centre forward certainly on the wish list given Leeds’ lack of goalscorers currently in the squad.
Leeds do actually have the opportunity to sign a striker this week, with the Yorkshire Evening Post claiming last month that the deadline for the Whites to activate their option to sign Mbakogu ends on June 30th.
Leeds have been looking at the Nigerian striker since January, with fans far from impressed at the pursuit of a 25-year-old forward who hit just six goals in Italy’s second division last season.
As time has gone on, Leeds activating their option on the former Palermo striker has looked increasingly unlikely, and with just five days to go, it would be a huge surprise to see the Whites go ahead with a deal.
As reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds are pursuing free agent Abel Hernandez and Derby County’s Matej Vydra, and the fact that they are chasing proven Championship forwards suggests that they aren’t about to take a punt on Mbakogu instead.
Add in that he’s a signing that few Leeds fans want, Mbakogu would be an underwhelming way to kickstart the Bielsa era – and with Gazzetta Di Modena recently claiming that a deal is ‘stalling’, Mbakogu’s move to England may be drifting away.
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