Leeds United

Leeds United

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Victor Orta nearing transfer success as report claims 41-goal striker ‘could be sold to Leeds’

Héber Araujo dos Santos, Valentin Castellanos, New York City FC celebrate a goal v Atlanta

Victor Orta is reportedly firmly at the front of the queue to sign New York City FC striker Valentin Castellanos amid claims the striker ‘could be sold to Leeds United’ this summer.

United have struggled badly this season in the wake of Patrick Bamford’s long-serving injury issues. He sustained an ankle injury against Newcastle on September 17 and has played just 20 minutes of football since. While since recovered from his ankle injury, subsequent hamstrong and then foot injuries have delayed his return.

As things stand, Marcelo Bielsa is still no clearer as to when Bamford can return. An update on his status, however, will be provided by the Leeds boss on Friday ahead of Sunday’s clash against Manchester United.

In light of Bamford’s ongoing absence, Leeds have settled on starting winger Daniel James up front. While not suited to the role, he performed exceptionally well recently in the 3-3 draw at Aston Villa.

That said, Leeds will look to boost their options this summer in order to have a more obvious Plan B.

Indeed, our feature here suggested Armando Broja as one of three summer signings Leeds should target.

Broja, however, is likely to command a huge fee this summer, while competition is likely to be fierce.

As such, the Whites are reportedly looking elsewhere at potential options.

To that end, reports on Wednesday suggested Leeds were keen on New York City FC frontman Castellanos.

The 23-year-old Argentina U23 international has never actually played in his home country. He came through the ranks in Chile, before moving to Uruguay and then on to MLS.

Valentin Castellanos has solid goals record

Castellanos had an exceptional campaign in 2020-21, bagging 23 goals in 36 matches. Add eight assists to that tally, and it’s clear to see why a Premier League move may well be on the agenda.

Indeed, Leeds are not the only side in the mix to sign him, with reports indicating Everton are also keen.

However, the main threat appears to be from River Plate, who reportedly held talks over his potential move.

As per TN Deportivo, the player is an express wish of River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo.

However, talks over the move now appear to have broken down.

Indeed, NYCFC were reportedly seeking a fee of around £10.1m (€12m) for Castellanos. And while the fee isn’t an issue, the payment breakdown clearly was.

Raphinha waiting for Real Madrid and Barcelona

Raphinha waiting for Real Madrid and Barcelona

Leeds United will struggle to keep hold of Raphinha as Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona all want him and he wants La Liga

River Plate reportedly offered €5m up front with the rest made up in instalments. That offer, however, has been flatly refused by the MLS side, with the economic difference said to be ‘insurmountable’

TN Deportivo now reports the deal to take him to River Plate is “99 per cent down”.

In addition, they claim the striker – who has 41 goals in 99 appearances for New York – “could now be sold to Leeds”.

As such, they report Leeds director of football Orta is working on a deal to bring Valentin Castellanos to Leeds this summer.

Cody Drameh in latest admission

Meanwhile, Leeds right-back Cody Drameh has attempted to rebuild some bridges with Bielsa after his surprise loan exit in January.

The youngster had been gaining experience in the first team but then revealed his desire to leave on a temporary basis. As such, he made the switch to Championship outfit Cardiff City.

Following the move, Bielsa seemingly aimed a dig at Drameh for wanting to leave.

But the defender has now spoken highly of his parent club’s manager to improve their public relationship somewhat.

“Some of the stuff you see on the pitch from me is definitely from Marcelo Bielsa and his coaching staff,” Drameh said.

“Their feedback was for me to be more aggressive and play on the front foot and I think the manager here has brought the best out of me since I’ve been here. His desire to get me in was the main reason that I came here.

“As a player, you always want to feel wanted and it seemed like the perfect place for me to come and play. The emphasis has been on being positive and wanting to attack and he’s filled me with a lot of confidence to go and express myself.”

READ MORE: Leeds given huge Raphinha contract update, despite claims shock Spain transfer is on