Leeds interest in ‘valuable’ Leicester City forward one to watch, as per insider
Leeds United are reportedly keen on Leicester City forward Ayoze Perez, in a potential move that transfer insider Ben Jacobs thinks is one to watch.
The need for the Whites to strengthen their side is one that has been clear for much of the season. Indeed, they have registered just four wins in the Premier League so far.
Only one side – 19th-placed Everton – have failed to win on more occasions this campaign.
Leeds’ form since returning from the World Cup break has also been cause for concern. In the five Premier League games during that period, they have lost two and drawn the other three.
Jesse Marsch has clearly identified that something needs to be done. Indeed, if no changes are made, his side could be staring down the barrel of relegation from the top flight.
Georginio Rutter and Maximilian Wober have already come through the door at Elland Road this winter.
It looks as if Weston McKennie is soon to follow, too. Reliable insider Fabrizio Romano has given it the ‘here we go’ stamp, which generally means it’s a safe bet that the transfer will happen.
Those additions will give Marsch more options, and he will hope they each inject quality into the side.
Ayoze Perez in Leeds’ thoughts
If the manager gets his way, it seems the incomings may not stop there. Insider Jacobs has reported that Leicester City striker Perez is in their thoughts.
“I think that one name to keep an eye on, potentially, could be Ayoze Perez,” he told GIVEMESPORT.
“He hasn’t done well at Leicester but proved that, if given a run of form, he could be valuable to a Premier League club from his Newcastle days.”
It’s a fair assessment to say the Spaniard has underperformed at Leicester. In the last three seasons at the King Power, he has scored just seven goals.
That tally has come across a total of 74 games. That’s a far cry from what Perez showed he was capable of during his time at Newcastle.
The forward’s best Premier League goals tally during his spell with the Magpies was 12 goals, and his overall return in all competitions was 48 goals in 195 appearances.
As such, whether or not Leeds signing him would be a success is completely dependent on which version of Perez they were to get.
Perez move might not be the answer
Perhaps a move into a new system would benefit him. At Newcastle, he was the main man, but his time at Leicester has been spent alongside Jamie Vardy, so opportunities are not quite as forthcoming.
If he was given more of a role in the event of a move to Leeds, both he and the club would benefit from that. That seems like it could be easier said than done, though.
It would be tough for anybody to take the place of Rodrigo Moreno in leading the line. He has been the Whites’ brightest spark by far this season – of the 26 league goals they’ve scored, he’s been responsible for 10.
As such, Perez might be a player to steer clear of, given he’s not been effective as a second option, which he would likely be again.