Leeds United want to sign Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara
Leeds United are interested in signing Marseille defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The newspaper reports via their print edition [2 January, page 141] that Kamara, 22, is among a number of players who the Whites “like” with the January transfer window now open.
It is understood that Leeds want a box-to-box midfielder this month, presumably to add extra depth to Marcelo Bielsa’s central options and also provide cover for Kalvin Phillips, who’s out injured until March.
Affordable and desirable
Kamara is in the mould of a player who Leeds United need to try and sign this month due to their shortcomings in the midfield.
Adam Forshaw has been fantastic this season, proving a lot of us wrong with his performances since returning from a two-year lay-off.
However, Mateusz Klich’s form has been poor and Stuart Dallas has had to move to the full-back slots very often.
It means that adding depth in the midfield is a must and Kamara is someone who might not cost Leeds an arm and a leg to sign.
The France Under-21 international’s contract at Marseille expires at the end of the season, meaning he could be up for grabs this month on a cut-price fee.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported last month that Kamara’s rejected the chance to sign a new deal at Marseille and has decided to quit the third-placed Ligue 1 club.
According to Marca, Manchester United had been hoping to sign him for free at the end of the season but Newcastle are now in pursuit of “one of Europe’s top talents” and a £10million deal is on the cards.
Leeds might want to gatecrash that party and have a go at landing Kamara themselves because a young, up-and-coming understudy for Phillips makes a lot of sense when the England international is strongly linked with other clubs and also prone to injuries.
Kamara is described as a “deep-lying playmaker who enjoys being on the ball” by Marca while ex-Man United player Luke Chadwick has described the Frenchman as a “fantastic” young player [CaughtOffside].
In other Leeds United news, one player should have signed for Leeds already as we examine three deals to complete in January.