Leeds United could reportedly miss out on FC Basel striker Arthur Cabral as West Ham keep tabs on the player and ready a formal approach.
Leeds have been without Patrick Bamford for eight games now, and it’s weakened the team greatly to not have an out-and-out striker in the squad replacing him.
It means there could be scope for a January swoop, should the right player come into view for the Whites.
Arthur Cabral’s name has been mentioned for some time when it comes to a Premier League move and Leeds, in particular, have been namechecked.
Spanish publication Sport have this week reported that Leeds have moved ahead of Barcelona in the race to sign the player, with a €20million offer needed to take him away from the Swiss Super League.
However, Leeds now face competition from Premier League rivals West Ham, with 4-4-2.ch claiming that an English club – thought to be the Hammers – have submitted an offer around that €20m mark and are making efforts to sign the player.
Basel are preparing for the player’s exit as January looms, with his 14 league goals this season enough to tempt clubs into purchasing him.
At 23, he’s already proving to have a keen eye for goal since he moved to Europe from Palmeiras.
He’s a player I would love us to go out and buy, but I do hold reservations about whether we have that sort of money to spend on a striker.
First and foremost, we need an attacking midfielder in my opinion, so that is a priority that takes precedent in the January window.
If we do have enough money to spend on two signings in January, then I can see us going for a striker as well because we cannot afford to just be waiting for Bamford when he’s not there.
A move to West Ham would make sense for Cabral though because he’ll likely be playing in Europe and he’ll be playing regularly there too.