Leeds United have been chasing Club Brugge's Charles De Ketelaere this summer, with the plan of securing a move for the Belgian forward as soon as fund have cleared from the sale of the departing Raphinha. However, the spanner in the works of that plan has been Raphinha's refusal to move to the English clubs bidding for him, whilst his dream club, Barcelona, have not made a bid acceptable to the Whites.
That has meant that Leeds have been unable to make a a firm bid for De Ketelaere and, according to Fabrizio Romano, Milan are now firming up their interest in the player and have made an opening bid of €20million for the Belgian. While that is some way short of the asking price, the Italian giants making their first bid for De Ketelaere makes things far more complicated for the Whites, knowing that they cannot offer Champions League football, as Milan can.
Here are some alternative options that they could look at, should they miss out on their top target.
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Arnaud Kalimuendo
Before the link to De Keteleare, Leeds were linked with PSG's young striker Arnaud Kalimuendo. The 20-year-old scored 13 goals on loan at Ligue 1 Lens last season and could well be a player that Leeds make a strong approach for.
Ben Brereton Diaz
Another previous link is Blackburn's Brereton Diaz, who the Whites were strongly linked to in January. They did not bid for the Chilean international, but he was said to be one that they thought could fill the void left in the team thanks to Patrick Bamford's injury problems. The 23-year-old hit 23 Championship goals in 21/22, although he did also miss a portion of the season injured, which Leeds may be wary of, given Bamford's injury troubles.
Terem Moffi
Another option in France is Terem Moffi of FC Lorient. The Nigerian striker had a less impressive second season in Ligue 1 than he did his first but he did score eight times in 21/22, adding to the 14 that he plundered in his debut campaign. The 23-year-old is an athletic option who would seem to fit well into Jesse Marsch's system. he could play with Bamford in a two or up front on his own, if needed.
Armando Broja
Finally, Chelsea could be persuaded to do a deal for their young striker, Armando Broja, particularly if they bring in Cristiano Ronaldo, as is being mooted. The Albanian striker will likely be expensive but he impressed in his first Premier League season, scoring six times for a Southampton side that tailed off badly in the second half of the season. At only 20-years-old, he appears to have a big future ahead of him as a centre forward.
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