Leeds United are thought to be ‘leading’ the race for FC Porto attacker Otavio.

Otavio has recently been linked with a move to Leeds, with reports claiming that the Whites saw a £25m offer turned down.

The 27-year-old’s agent was even in England last month looking to finalise the player’s next move, with Transfermarkt currently having a probability of a move to Elland Road materialising at a whopping 98%.

Leeds are on the hunt for a new forward and appear to have moved on from Charles De Ketelaere, who is close to joining AC Milan, and it looks as if that could be Otavio, despite mainly turning out on the wing or as an attacking midfielder.

The Latest: Transfer update

MOT Leeds News relayed an update from Portuguese outlet Record regarding Otavio on Tuesday.

They claimed that it is the Whites who are leading the race for the attacker, with the Portugal international also attracting interest from Aston Villa and Leicester City.

The report adds that Otavio’s current release clause stands at around £33m, but that will increase to a figure close to £50m on July 15, leaving Victor Orta little time to get a deal done on the cheap.

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The Verdict: Centre-forward instead

Otavio has scored 40 senior goals for club and country during his career and has been labelled as 'phenomenal' by Portuguese football expert Alex Goncalves and an ‘exciting’ player by ESPN commentator Marc Lewis, but he might not be what Leeds are after.

Luis Sinisterra became the sixth summer signing and looks set to fill the void left by Raphinha, so Orta and co could be better off going after an out-and-out centre-forward instead of someone like Otavio, who typically plays just off the front or on the right.

It seems as if the Whites are still keen on his services, though, so it could be one to keep a close eye on, especially over the next 48 hours prior to his release clause increasing by £17m.