Noah Okafor could be the latest Premier League star to leave Red Bull Salzburg, with Leeds reportedly seeking a deal for the prolific striker. The Austrian side can boast Liverpool icon Sadio Mane and Manchester City ace Erling Haaland as players they have developed, and English clubs are apparently aware of the latest talent in the Salzburg production line.
Leeds are desperate to sign a new striker in the January transfer window. Jesse Marsch missed several targets in the summer.
Patrick Bamford’s fitness problems mean he cannot be relied on to regularly lead the front line at Elland Road. Leeds have scored just 13 goals this season and have lacked a scoring presence up front.
Marsch is reportedly set to target Salzburg attacker Okafor in the winter window, with several clubs impressed by the Swiss international’s goalscoring record. The 22-year-old has scored eight goals this term, following his impressive total of 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season.
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According to the Italian publication transfer marketLeeds is one of the clubs chasing Okafor. Marsch has been interested in acquiring a new striker for some time, especially after Raphinha’s departure to Barcelona in the summer.
Leeds missed out on a £9m deal for Marseille’s Bamba Dieng on deadline day, with the striker preferring to move to Nice despite his club agreeing a fee with the Premier League side. However, that transfer fell through and Dieng stayed in Marseille.
Marsch spoke earlier this month about the need for a striker to arrive in January. He will be on the agenda for a meeting the head coach under pressure has with the club directors.
He said: “We are going to have a meeting in a couple of weeks about the transfer window in the winter. It’s a little early to talk about these things. However, that was clearly a goal of ours in the summer and we will evaluate the attacking part of the field as we go and figure out what we need to add.
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“I think the biggest room for improvement is scoring goals. I think in the moments when we are up in games, in the moments when we are at the bottom of opponents, we need to capitalize more.
“It’s about turning leads into chances and chances into shots and shots into goals. We’re still getting our cleanliness and sharpness and confidence and poise around the finish line to get our rewards. That is the area with the most room for improvement.”
Leeds sit 18th in the Premier League, having won just two of their 11 games so far. It is not understood that Marsch is close to being fired.
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