Leeds United are interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Marc Roca this summer, according to a report from The Athletic. 

The lowdown: Career so far

A product of the youth ranks at Espanyol, Roca made 121 appearances for the La Liga side before being snapped up by Bayern in 2020.

Tipped to fill the illustrious boost of Xabi Alonso upon arriving in Germany, the former Spanish youth international has only made 24 outings for the Bundesliga powerhouses since his arrival.

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Still under contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt), Leeds could be about to cut the short the Spaniard's spell at the Allianz Arena...

The latest: Hay on Roca

Taking to Twitter to cite a report from The Athletic, Hay, the outlet's Leeds correspondent, has broken the news regarding the Whites' interest.

He stated: “Sources in Germany tell @TheAthleticUK that Leeds United are targeting Bayern Munich's Marc Roca, formerly of Espanyol, as they look to increase their midfield options.”

The report itself claims that Leeds and West Ham are both interested in Roca - who was hailed for an 'outstanding' spell of form earlier this year by Uli Hoeness - and Bayern will be willing to sell the seven-cap ex-Spain Under 21 starlet for offers in the region of £10million.

The verdict: Strength in depth

Anyone signed by Bayern Munich clearly has a degree of competency that would be of great interest to any club in Europe.

However, having made only 13 appearances during 2021/22, three of which came in the Champions League, the cultured Spaniard is in far from peak form and any hopes he might've had of replicating the career of his compatriot Alonso have quickly evaporated.

That's not to say Jesse Marsch wouldn't benefit from the capture as going further back, during the 2018/19 La Liga campaign, Roca earned an impressive 6.97 Sofascore rating whilst completing 48.6 accurate passes and 0.7 key passes on average per game, proof of an unerring passing ability that ultimately earned a big switch to Germany as the potential second coming of Alonso.

Whilst that prophecy hasn't come to fruition, the opportunity to sign a player who shares similar traits with such star names as Jorginho, Rodrigo Bentancur and Marcelo Brozovic (Fbref) for just a £10million mooted asking price may prove somewhat of a no-brainer.

In other news: Leeds now eyeing move for ‘lethal and sublime’ gem, read more here