Noa Lang is on a 'really exciting' list of candidates to replace Raphinha at Leeds United, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.
The lowdown
The Brazilian's time at Elland Road could well be coming to an end as Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal pursue him (via The Athletic). The 25-year-old would like to join the La Liga giants, but their 'financial strife' has prevented them from meeting Leeds' valuation.
Chelsea have submitted a bid worth close to £60m but the player is waiting for the Spanish giants. Arsenal, for their part, saw an offer of less than £40m rebuffed by the Whites.
Leeds manager Jesse Marsch says that there's a degree of 'urgency' from the player's camp as they seek to resolve Raphinha's future.
The latest
Jones has said that Leeds have already drawn up their shortlist of potential successors for the 25-year-old, and it includes Club Brugge dynamo Lang, as well as PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo.
The transfer insider told GiveMeSport: "We know that they've been looking at some other really exciting names.
"Noa Lang is a long-term target, somebody that they definitely like. Gakpo is definitely admired and somebody that they've had on their list."
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The verdict
The pursuit of Lang is a long-term one, dating back to the tenure of Marcelo Bielsa.
Last summer, when the 23-year-old was on the books at Ajax, Leeds representatives flew to the Netherlands to try to strike a deal, but they were unsuccessful with all three of their offers (via The Mirror).
However, it seems that Marsch is just as big a fan of the Dutchman as his predecessor, and the Yorkshire outfit could be about to reignite their pursuit of the five-cap international.
Lang's form last season, when he bagged nine goals and laid on 15 assists for Belgian champions Brugge, may well have caught Leeds' eye.
Similar in profile to the likes of Jadon Sancho, Adama Traore and Wilfried Zaha according to FBRef, the £19.8m-rated Lang is notably a team-mate of another reported Leeds target in Charles de Ketalaere.
Lang has branded himself an 'entertainer' but his discipline needs to improve. Indeed, Marsch will surely be aware that the winger racked up a whopping worst disciplinary record in 2021/22.