Leeds United are closing in on a deal to sign Newcastle United central midfielder Sean Longstaff to bolster Daniel Farke’s options in the middle of the park.
Fabrizio Romano claims that the club have placed a £12m bid on the table for the English maestro, who has already agreed personal terms with the Championship champions.
The 27-year-old midfielder started eight of his 25 appearances in the Premier League for the Magpies last season, and would arrive at Elland Road as a proven performer in the top-flight.
However, Longstaff did end the campaign without a single goal to his name in 32 games in all competitions, which suggests that he is not likely to provide much of a goal threat for the Whites from midfield.
Leeds eyeing another Newcastle midfielder
The Premier League newcomers, however, are reportedly eyeing another Newcastle midfielder who could provide a threat at the top end of the pitch.
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According to TEAMtalk, Leeds United have held internal talks over the possibility of a swoop to sign versatile Newcastle star Joe Willock this summer.
The report claims that the Whites are considering a swoop to sign the English attacker as an alternative to Manor Solomon, as he has the versatility to play in a central midfield role as a left winger.
It adds, though, that Crystal Palace are also monitoring the former Arsenal man’s situation and that he would prefer a move to London over Leeds if given the chance to pick.
This means that it could be a difficult deal for the Whites to get over the line if they decide to act upon their interest in him, but if they can convince him to make the move to Elland Road, Farke could have his own Mateusz Klich.
Why Willock would be the new Klich for Leeds
When Marcelo Bielsa brought Leeds up to the Premier League, Klich played a key role in the middle of the park with four goals and five assists in 35 games.
The Poland international made 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game to go along with his nine goal contributions in 29 starts in the top-flight that term, providing dynamism and energy to the team.
Willock has scored 18 goals in 143 matches for Newcastle in all competitions in his career to date, which suggests that he has the attacking potential to replicate the kind of performances Klich put in for Bielsa in the 2020/21 campaign.
xG
0.14
Top 21%
xG on target
0.09
Top 42%
Goals
0.00
Bottom 3%
Assists
0.17
Top 20%
Chances created
1.84
Top 13%
Touches in the opposition’s box
4.86
Top 5%
He may have ended last season without a Premier League goal to his name but, as you can see in the table above, the midfielder was doing all the right things.
Willock got himself into high-quality shooting positions and delivered decent shots, with 0.09 xG on target per 90, but was foiled by quality goalkeeping, whilst his touches in the opposition box per 90 show that he is a constant threat on the pitch.
The 25-year-old star, who was once described as “special” by Mikel Arteta, has the potential to deliver goals and assists at an impressive rate if given more opportunities at Leeds, and if he gets more luck with goalkeepers not stopping his high-quality shots.
Willock only started 11 times in the Premier League under Eddie Howe last season, and a move to Elland Road could provide him with a chance to play week-in-week-out and deliver quality in the final third on a regular basis, to be Farke’s own version of Klich in midfield.
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