Leeds United target and Fenerbahce striker Mergim Berisha is available for a transfer this summer, according to Turkish journalist Kaan Bayazit.
The lowdown: Bid made
Recently, Omer Celikbasli claimed that the Whites had submitted an offer of €2million (£1.7million) for Berisha as Victor Orta attempts to bolster the attacking options at Jesse Marsch's disposal.
The 24-year-old former Germany youth international previously played under the Leeds boss during their distinguished time together at Austrian Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg and it appears that the American is keen to reunite with the frontman in Yorkshire.
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Now, a fresh update has emerged suggesting that whilst Berisha could be an attainable target, it will take more than the current bid in order to make the deal happen...
The latest: 'Up for sale'
Talking to MOT Leeds News, Bayazit - a journalist for WSD Net and Number Web - has claimed that the 13 times capped Under 21 star will cost 'north of £5million'.
He revealed: “He’s been a bit of a disappointment at Fenerbahce but they paid close to £4.5million for him so they’d like a bit more than that which would take this north of £5million.
“He is up for sale and I imagine if Marsch worked with him before then it’s down to that. He did do decently at RB Salzburg. At RB Salzburg he often played as a second striker, at Fenerbahçe he was expected to function alone up top more, but that didn’t really work out.”
The verdict: Pay up
Whilst an apparent inability to lead the line singlehandedly should come as a concern to Marsch and Leeds moreover given the American's preferred 4-2-3-1/4-2-2-2 formation, this is a potential deal that retains plenty of positives, particularly after another reported striker target, Arnaud Kalimuendo, opted to remain at Paris Saint-Germain.
Holding a perceived market value of £5.4million and under contract in Turkey until 2025 (Transfermarkt), paying anything close to that would have to be regarded as a shrewd piece of business from the Elland Road hierarchy.
Last season, Berisha - who was described as a 'clinical finisher' by Football Chatters on Twitter - scored seven times and provided three assists in 33 appearances across all competitions, a major drop-off from the 33 direct goal involvements achieved in 2020/21 and 16 a year earlier.
However, despite the obvious decline in output and the heeded warning from Bayazit, the German's pre-established relationship with Marsch, ability to play across the frontline and in deeper positions, as well as now having gained additional experience outside of Austria, could prove invaluable and therefore this should be a no-brainer for Andrea Radrizanni to sanction the extra funds.