By Saikat Mandal

16th Nov, 2022 | 7:10am

Leeds United must aim to secure January move for Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres

Leeds United should be on red alert in the January window as Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres is making headlines once again.

The 24-year-old forward, who can play as a striker or as an attacking midfielder, was linked with a move to Elland Road towards the end of the January window.

Dean Jones reported for Give Me Sport on 30 August that the Whites have “half-an-eye” on Gyokeres as the club looked to sign a back-up option for Patrick Bamford.

In the end, the Whites signed Wilfried Gnonto, who has made a significant impact in recent games. But, the need for a new striker in January has been strongly felt, with Bamford once again struggling with his fitness.

The Coventry City striker scored a “stunning” solo goal against Wigan in the Championship on 8 November, taking his goal tally to nine so far.

Mark Robins, the Coventry boss, has suggested that the striker is “priceless” when asked what could be his market value at the moment. Fans will be hoping that no one comes in and take the player away by meeting the club’s valuation, but every player has a price.

“I think everyone talks about whether you can keep hold of people but let’s just enjoy everybody while we have them and get on with things. There’s too much time spent talking about whether we can keep hold of people,” said Robins, as quoted by Coventry Live.

“The truth of the matter is that at some point players move on, managers and staff move on but in the meantime, let’s just enjoy it. Let’s enjoy the moment. The supporters are the one constant and we are trying to please them and make sure they are happy as often as possible. And they reciprocate and that’s why it works so well.”

The striker showed his pace, power, skill and determination finish against Wigan in that solo goal, and Victor Orta and Jesse Marsch should be thrilled with that effort.

Leeds need someone who can play regularly, make an instant impact and score goals as well. At the moment, the club is heavily relying on young players to deliver, although they have been outstanding. The Whites have shown signs of resurgence in recent weeks, and they will be flying high in the Premier League if they can get one solid striker in January.

It’s unclear how much Coventry would demand, but the Sweden international would be a terrific addition to the squad in January. The likes of Burnley, Fulham and Everton are also interested but it shouldn’t be a big problem for Leeds if they truly want to snap him up.

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has revealed the whispers he’s heard at Elland Road about when the 49ers will complete their takeover.