Leeds United transfer news: Peterborough United lead race to sign AFC Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi in £1.5m deal
Leeds United have fallen behind Peterborough United in the race to sign AFC Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi in a £1.5m deal, according to TEAMtalk.
Writing on their website (13 December), the news outlet report that the Whites are one of a host of Championship clubs looking to sign the Iraq international in January including Bristol City and Hull.
But it’s Peterborough who are pushing hardest to get a deal done, with the reported £1.5m fee set to be a record for the Dons for selling a player.
“TEAMtalk exclusively revealed last month that a host of Championship clubs including Leeds United, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers – as well as Peterborough’s League 1 rivals Derby County – are keen on a move for the striker,” they wrote.
“We can now reveal that both Bristol City and Hull City have looked to manoeuvre themselves in the battle – but it is actually Peterborough who are pushing hardest.
“It is understood a deal worth £1.5million is now being lined up and it would represent a club record for The Dons, whose previous record mark came in the last January window when they picked up just over £1m from Qatari club Al Wakrah for Ayoub Assal.”
Interesting
Al-Hamadi is clearly too good for League Two right now and a step up to the Championship would be a great opportunity to show his levels while also offering great cover and depth for the squad.
With the future of Gnonto and Summerville up in the air currently, Al-Hamadi could prove to be a shrewd bit of business where even if he didn’t end up making it we could make a decent profit in years to come.
It’s certainly an exciting deal and one to pay attention to in the coming weeks, although it would likely be towards the end of the window as he is set to appear in the Asia Cup during January.
But if other teams are pushing ahead and pushing harder for a deal it won’t be the end of the world. Leeds still have the likes of Joe Gelhardt and Mateo Joseph as younger forwards waiting for a chance.
Whether Al-Hamadi is good enough to leapfrog them remains to be seen and while it would be a good deal to get done for the future, it’s not the end of the world if they miss out.
In other Leeds news, club could terminate loan deal early with Elland Road return on the cards.