Leeds United pushing for £10 million transfer despite pessimism | OneFootball

Leeds United are hoping to sign Freiburg's Roland Sallai for £10 million but a deal is unlikely on deadline day.

SC Freiburg forward Rolland Sallai is a deadline day target for Leeds United for a fee of around £10 million, but the club are said to be pessimistic about their chances of landing the versatile forward.

GiveMeSport are reporting that talks are underway regarding a fee of around £10 million, but Sacha Tovolieri believes a move is unlikely, and that there is pessimism at striking an agreement.

It was revealed in The Athletic via Adam Leventhal on Monday evening that Leeds were considering an approach for the forward, but that they had not yet made a formal offer at that stage, with the player said to be keen on a move to Leeds this summer, according to Tovolieri

After initially being rebuffed by the Bundesliga club, Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post revealed via his newsletter that Sallai has re-emerged as a target, explaining how the Hungarian international is a player the club likes, and he is firmly among the ‘list’ of players that the recruitment team are drawing up as they look to get a few deals done late on in the window.

The update also revealed that Sallai is entering the final year of his contract with Freiburg, so he is also a realistic option, as they will surely want to cash-in as opposed to losing him on a free transfer in less than 12 months.

Roland Sallai transfer latest as £10 million fee mooted

GiveMeSport have the latest regarding Sallai, which is that Leeds are trying to tie up a deal as quickly as possible, as there are fears that it could be hijacked by another side. The 49ers are reportedly led to believe that the 27-year-old has offers on the table from clubs in France and Germany.

Per reports earlier in the week from Tovolieri, initial talks were said to be underway regarding a fee of around €9 million (£7.6 million) for the versatile forward, who directly contributed to 21 goals in 52 caps for Hungary. He also has plenty of top-flight experience with Freiburg in the Bundesliga, too.

However, the latest from GiveMeSport states that a fee of around £10 million is being discussed to beat the competition for his signature. They are confident that Sallai is keen on joining Farke’s promotion push at Elland Road.

It appears as though a move is stalling, though. Tovolieri believes the move is unlikely, but has stated it is a situation to wait and see what happens, despite pessimism growing regarding a move to Leeds.

Philipp Hinze of Sky Germany has also reported on Leeds' concrete interest. He states that there has been contact between the player and club as well, whilst stating Sallai is open to a new challenge. However, there is also interest from an unnamed French side in Ligue 1.

Roland Sallai deal becomes unlikely for Leeds United

Sallai may well be an ambitious target for Leeds to be looking at, but he has proven quality and many Leeds fans will be keen on the idea of someone who should be too good for the division that they are in.

That makes him difficult to attain, and a player of his talents is likely to have interest all across Europe if he is available. Sallai belongs in top-flight football, which complicates any move from Leeds, who cannot offer what others can, even if they can match what Ligue 1 teams in France can in wage terms.

Sallai is extremely versatile, and if he were to join Leeds to be flanked by both Willy Gnonto and Largie Ramazani in a new-look Leeds attack, following a summer of restructuring after the departures of Summerville and Rutter, then Leeds could have a devastating forward line for the level once again.

However, disappointment is expected on deadline day on that front for Leeds.