Leeds ‘fighting’ to sign the new Mane ahead of January transfer window

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Noah Okafor could be the latest Premier League star to come out of Red Bull Salzburg, with Leeds reportedly chasing a deal for the prolific forward. The Austrian outfit can boast Liverpool icon Sadio Mane and Manchester City ace Erling Haaland as players they have developed, and English clubs are apparently keeping tabs on the latest talent on Salzburg’s production line. 

Leeds are desperate to sign a new striker in the January transfer window. Jesse Marsch missed out on several targets in the summer. 

Patrick Bamford’s fitness issues mean that he cannot be trusted to regularly lead the forward line at Elland Road. Leeds have scored just 13 goals this season and have lacked a goal-scoring presence up front. 

Marsch will apparently target Salzburg attacker Okafor in the winter window, with several clubs impressed by the Switzerland international’s scoring record. The 22-year-old has bagged eight goals this term, following his impressive total of 14 strikes and 11 assists across all competitions last campaign. 

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According to Italian publication Calciomercato, Leeds are one of the clubs chasing Okafor. Marsch has been keen to acquire a new forward for some time, especially after Raphinha’s departure to Barcelona in the summer. 

Leeds missed out on a £9million deal for Marseille’s Bamba Dieng on deadline day, with the striker preferring a move to Nice despite his club agreeing a fee with the Premier League side. However, that transfer fell through and Dieng remained at Marseille. 

Marsch spoke earlier this month about the need for a striker to arrive in January. It will be on the agenda for a meeting the under–pressure head coach holds with club directors. 

He said: “We’re going to have a meeting in a couple of weeks about the transfer window in the winter. It’s a little bit early to discuss these things. However, that was clearly a target of ours in the summer and we will assess the attacking part of the field as we move forward and figure out what we need to add. 

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“I think the biggest room for improvement is goalscoring. I think in moments when we are on top in games, in moments when we are in the opponents’ end, we need to capitalise more.

“It’s about turning advantages into chances and chances into shots and shots into goals. We’re still getting our cleanliness and sharpness and confidence and poise around the goal to get us our rewards. That’s the area with the biggest room for improvement.”

Leeds are 18th in the Premier League, having won just two of their 11 games so far. It is not understood that Marsch is close to being dismissed. 

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