Leeds United transfer latest with new £8.5m international midfielder target and imminent deal
Leeds United have included Noah Sadiki on their list of potential midfield transfer targets.
The club are not understood to have lodged a bid with Belgian champions Royale Union Saint-Gilloise for the versatile player yet, despite reports.
Sources on both sides of a prospective deal have confirmed to the YEP that Leeds have not submitted an £8.5 million (€10m) bid, after a report claiming that to be the case emerged on Monday.
Sadiki appeared 55 times across all competitions for USG last season as the club ended a 90-year wait for a domestic league title, including 10 in the UEFA Europa League. All but two of his appearances came as a starter. Though he has played on both flanks in defence and midfield, made two centre-back appearances and operated as a deep-lying midfielder, the bulk of his time has been spent in central midfield.
French club Olympique Lyonnais were also named in the report linking Leeds with a move, although the YEP understands no official approaches have been made for the midfielder at this early stage of the window.
Sadiki has already earned nine caps for DR Congo as a senior international and has more than 100 appearances for USG and Anderlecht to his name at club level. With two years remaining on his four-year contract in Belgium, the 20-year-old is likely to have plenty of suitors this summer.
Leeds have also identified Strasbourg's Habib Diarra as a potential midfield addition and what they believe will be Premier League quality to Daniel Farke's squad, but the Senegal international has always been rated as a less likely coup. Sadiki may represent a more obtainable target but the YEP understands Leeds' interest remains just that at this stage. The club are known to be working on a number of targets simultaneously.
The view from Belgium
USG's trading model is one which buys low and sells high, identifying players from lesser leagues using a unique, data-led approach with the capacity to compete at the top level in Belgium. The Belgian club are a small, cost-conscious operation but have successfully shoehorned their way back into the European elite with several seasons at the top of the Pro League and in continental competition.
The club's record sales include Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen), Cameron Puertas (Al-Qadsiyah) and Mohamed Amoura (VfL Wolfsburg), who cumulatively brought in over £45 million, having been signed for just over £9 million from clubs in Norway and Switzerland. Summer after summer, USG have routinely sold key players before refreshing the squad, still managing to go from strength to strength.
Transfer latest
Leeds have already made their first summer signing with the free transfer of striker Lukas Nmecha, whose deal at Wolfsburg runs out at the end of this month. And a deal for Udinese centre-back Jaka Bijol is close to being agreed between the clubs. Leeds are confident they can get it over the line and hope to do so imminently.