Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has identified Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard as a transfer priority for the club this summer, a report from a print edition of The Sunday Mirror (09/08, p66) has claimed.
Edouard has scored 65 goals in 127 appearances in all competitions for Celtic since joining from PSG in 2017, and netted a hattrick in his side’s 5-1 win over Hamilton on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership season last weekend.
Having won promotion to the Premier League last season, Leeds are now looking to add to their attacking options ahead of their long-awaited return to English football’s top-flight, and it seems Bielsa wants Edouard available to him for that upcoming campaign.
According to the latest reports, the Leeds boss has identified the 22-year-old as his number one striker target for the summer transfer window, although it seems he will not come cheap.
It is thought that it could set Leeds back around £20million to bring Edouard to Elland Road, and with two years remaining on his contract at Celtic, the Scottish champions are in a decent position to negotiate any offers that may come in for him.
Even so, this would be a significant signing for Leeds if they were to pull it off.
They simply cannot rely on Patrick Bamford up front all season, so adding at least one more forward to their ranks ahead of the new season feels vital.
Edouard’s clear ability and experience – even at a young age – means he could be perfect for that role, particularly considering he could fill it for many more years to come with so long remaining in his career.
You do feel however, that Celtic are not going to want to let one of their key men go easily, and Edouard himself may want to stay at the club look for a tenth straight league title whilst competing in the Champions League, meaning this may not be an easy deal for Leeds to pull off, and it surely will not be cheap.