Leeds United target Arnaud Kalimuendo is available for £21million, according to French newspaper L’Equipe.
The lowdown
Kalimuendo, 20, has come through the youth ranks at Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.
He has spent the last two seasons out on loan with another side in the French top flight, RC Lens.
The Frenchman, who has played virtually all of his football as a centre-forward, is under contract at the Parc des Princes until the summer of 2024.
The latest
L’Equipe (via TEAMtalk) report that Leeds will only have to increase an initial offer of £17million by £4million in order to agree a deal for Kalimuendo.
It remains to be seen whether Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani return to the table and matches their price, or whether he instead tries to reach a middle ground or move on to another target.
The verdict
Leeds want to sign a striker and Kalimuendo could be an excellent long-term purchase.
He bagged 12 goals in 34 appearances last season for a Lens side that finished in seventh, averaging one every 181 minutes.
Impressively, he reached that tally from an expected goals of just 9.4, suggesting he’s clinical in front of goal.
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Kalimuendo is, in the words of talent scout Jacek Kulig, ‘one of the most prolific U20s in Europe’s top five leagues’.
The French Under-21 international could come to look like a real coup for Leeds in a couple of years’ time.
