Leeds keen on signing “sensational” £21m Calvert-Lewin rival on loan
While West Ham United and Nottingham Forest continue to be sucked further into the Premier League relegation zone, Leeds United are aiming to look up the division.
It’s been an unbelievable change of fortunes at Elland Road in such a short space of time, with November standing out as an extremely bleak month when Daniel Farke’s men lost four league games consecutively, leaving the German worrying about his job security.
Now, however, he looks to be just the right man who will guide Leeds to safety, with a draw at Liverpool to start the New Year pushing the Whites further away from their relegation rivals at the foot of the competitive division.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been key to Leeds’ recent uptick in form, with a stunning eight Premier League strikes next to his name.
Still, Farke could look to the January transfer window as a chance to add even more goals to his team’s reinvigorated ranks, as several strikers are now tipped to make the switch to West Yorkshire…
Leeds looking to sign new striker
The ex-Norwich City manager won’t want his team to be over-reliant on the free-flowing number nine as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast.
Recent reports have suggested that the Premier League newcomers have PSV Eindhoven centre-forward Ricardo Pepi on their shopping list in this regard, with a whopping £35m price tag allegedly above the 22-year-old’s head.
Alongside Pepi being chased, Leeds also have AS Roma marksman Artem Dovbyk in mind this January, with a new report from TuttoMercatoWeb stating that a loan departure from the Italian capital looks to be likely, as both the Whites and Sunderland remain interested. If he were to move permanently, then a fee of around £21m may well be needed.
With both Everton and West Ham United also previously noted as being onlookers, this might well be a transfer tussle to keep an eye on as the hectic month develops, with Farke no doubt keen to bring in the Ukrainian as the Serie A attacker’s goalscoring exploits in Italy and beyond make him a very exciting rival for Calvert-Lewin’s concrete starting spot.
Why Dovbyk is good enough to rival Calvert-Lewin
The instinctive centre-forward would surely be licking his lips at the prospect of being a deadly second-in-command to the former Everton marksman, having fired home 19 goals for Gian Piero Gasperini’s men to date.
There is also an arguable hole to be filled, with Lukas Nmecha unfortunately falling victim to some worrying injuries since joining the Elland Road ranks in the summer as another striker option.
Dovbyk’s career numbers vs DCL’s
Stat
Dovbyk
DCL
Games played
286
344
Goals scored
133
97
Assists
33
25
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Of course, even as he was dropped for the Liverpool away clash owing to the congested fixture list, Calvert-Lewin will remain Leeds’ star-man for the foreseeable future, with the Sheffield-born menace now up to 65 Premier League goals off the back of a red-hot streak in West Yorkshire, which has seen him power home eight league strikes.
But the table above backs up the notion that Dovbyk is more than good enough as a lethal finisher in his own right to push the revitalised Englishman all the way, with a standout 43 career goals plying his trade in both Serie A and La Liga.
Farke wouldn’t feel too perturbed by the prospect of a 40-time Ukraine international having to come into the side as his main marksman either, with his insane form for former employers Girona seeing him put away a stunning 24 goals from just 36 La Liga clashes during the 2023/24 campaign, as Dovbyk was even hailed as a “sensational” focal point up top by ex-boss Michel Sanchez.
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It hasn’t gone Dovbyk’s way entirely at the Stadio Olimpico, with only three Serie A starts coming his way this season so far.
Yet, he knows, when an opportunity comes his way, that he can fire home a chance at a moment’s notice, with a sublime three goal contributions next to his name for Roma this campaign, even as he is primarily utilised as a reserve option.
Leeds will no doubt see how impressive Dovbyk has been during his cameos in Italy as a major reason why they want to secure his loan services, with an added injection of attacking quality in some crucial games to come, making survival feel even easier to clinch.
Calvert-Lewin would be kept on his toes by the Roma number nine, leaving Italy behind for West Yorkshire, as Farke goes about using the full squad available to him, to ensure his troops don’t fall victim to rusty displays.
Farke can sign "incredibly prolific" £35m star to end Nmecha's Leeds career
Leeds United could already move on from Lukas Nmecha by swooping to sign this reported transfer target.
ByDan Emery