Leeds United have been dealt a potential setback to their hopes of securing a move for reported transfer target Raphael Guerreiro. 

The Lowdown: Leeds' interest in Guerreiro

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Whites are planning to make an approach to sign the full-back from Borussia Dortmund during the upcoming January transfer window.

With the World Cup in Qatar around the corner, this will give the Yorkshire club the chance to potentially see Guerreiro in action for Portugal ahead of the winter market opening for business.

However, it appears that the Elland Road outfit have been dealt a potential blow to their chances of signing the defender.

The Latest: West Ham join Guerreiro transfer race

According to a recent report from Jeunes Footeux, West Ham United have joined the race to sign the 28-year-old from Dortmund in January.

The report adds that the German club have offered a new deal to Guerreiro, who is set to see his current contract expire at the end of June.

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The Verdict: Leeds must be ruthless

Across 206 appearances for Dortmund, Guerreiro has scored 37 goals and delivered 39 assists in the process.

Across his 12 Bundesliga outings this season, he has racked up the third-highest number of key passes (14) and third-highest number of shot-creating actions (32) at the club, highlighting how much of an attacking threat he can offer.

 

From a defensive point of view, Guerreiro - who has been described in the past by Michael Zorc as being in "exceptionally good shape" - has the fourth-highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (35) in the Dortmund squad.

This showcases just how effective the full-back can be up and down the pitch, which is presumably why Dortmund are keen to keep hold of him and why the likes of Leeds and West Ham want to sign him.

Taking all that into account, we feel that Guerreiro would be a very smart signing for Jesse Marsch's side and that the club will need to be ruthless in their attempts to sign him in January if they are to prevent the Hammers from beating them to the punch.