Leeds United kept their powder keg dry in the January transfer window, with the club abiding by their policy of preferring to do business in the January window. With injuries catching up with the squad this season, they could be set for a busy summer, with plenty of business set to be done.
One name recently linked by the Italian press is that of American attacking midfielder Djordje Mihailovic. The USA international has started the MLS campaign extremely well, scoring four goals and grabbing three assists in just seven games so far.
Whilst Leeds face strong competition to secure the signature of Mihailovic, securing their Premier League status for next season would certainly make the offer more lucrative. The Whites take on Crystal Palace on Monday night knowing that a win could massively boost their survival hopes.
Read more: Pundits predictions as clash between Leeds United and Crystal Palace splits opinion
Background
Mihailovic hails from Florida, USA, and has played in the MLS for all of his career so far. Having played youth football for Chicago Blast and Chicago Fire, he made his MLS debut in March 2017 for Chicago Fire. There he remained until 2020, when after over 70 appearances, he moved on to CF Montreal. At his current club he has netted eight times, one more than the seven he managed during his all his time at Chicago Fire.
He has represented the US men's national team at youth level, and broke into the first team in 2019. He has played six times for them, scoring one goal.
Form this season
The MLS begins in February and ends in November, and so far this season he has notched four goals in seven appearances. This has helped propel Montréal to sixth place in the Eastern Conference table. He also has a pass accuracy rating of 83.3% this season, and has managed seven shots on target.
What's been said about him
Teammate Alistair Johnston praised Mihailovic highly after their side's recent 2-1 win against Vancouver Whitecaps - a game in which Mihailovic scored one and assisted one.
Johnston commented that: “I think if he keeps performing at this level, which I have no doubt he will, he should be a frontrunner for MVP and we need to keep pushing that narrative as a collective group.
“From the media up north, [it’s] really pushing that so that it goes mainstream because it is such a narrative-driven award where stats definitely play a part. But at the same time, if you don't have that storyline going with you it's really difficult. So we need to push that right from the get-go because he deserves it. He deserves to be at least in the front-running in that top-five discussion, for sure.”
Former Tottenham and Southampton midfielder, Victor Wanyama, who also plays for Montréal, tipped Mihailovic to make a move to the Premier League: “To me, Djordje is a great player. We understand his movement, he's a top talent.
"He's on fire at the moment, so I see him, if he continues like this, in bigger leagues to be honest. He won't be here with us for long. So he's playing well. He should continue being humble and giving us the performances he's giving us at this stage.”
Why Leeds would want him?
This season has seen Leeds' squad depth stretched beyond breaking point. Several of last season's standout performers have been blighted by injury during this campaign, with Leeds lacking a cutting edge at times as a result. With Raphina also linked to a move away from Elland Road, Mihailovic could prove to be exactly Leeds need to make them competitive for the 2022/23 season.
Although the MLS is a different standard to the Premier League, Mihailovic is still young, and with a passionate crowd behind him, and a fellow American in Jesse Marsch in the dugout, Leeds could be the ideal destination for him to flourish.
