Leeds United must look beyond Michail Antonio for attacking reinforcements amid latest transfer news
It’s clear that Leeds United have a striker crisis on their hands, with Patrick Bamford, Georginio Rutter and Mateo Joseph all currently out injured.
The issues for the trio undoubtedly had a major impact on the Whites for their Championship opener against Cardiff City on Sunday (6 August).
It meant new manager Daniel Farke was forced to start Wilfried Gnonto centrally as the Whites drew 2-2 with the Bluebirds at Elland Road.
It remains to be seen whether or not Farke will delve into the summer transfer window to fix the issue, having already strengthened at the back through Karl Darlow, Ethan Ampadu and Sam Byram.
One forward that they are reportedly targeting, however, is West Ham striker Michail Antonio, according to FootballTransfers (7 August).
But it is seemingly a step too far for the Whites, not merely because both Scottish giants Celtic [FootballTransfers, 7 August] and Premier League outfit Everton [The Guardian, 2 August] are both interested in his services.
Moreover, there is interest in the 33-year-old from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq, as per The Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg (17 July).
Other interest aside, it is likely that Antonio will not only be keen to continue playing at a higher level of football than the Championship, but will also be eager to earn a wage higher than what he would be earning at Elland Road.
Yet another stumbling block lies in the fact that West Ham have just sold Gianluca Scamacca to Serie A club Atalanta, meaning manager David Moyes is highly unlikely to let Antonio follow him out the door until a replacement has been found.
In other Leeds United news, the West Yorkshire outfit have broken a six-year Sky Sports record.