Leeds United know they must add a forward to their attacking ranks in January, or risk being dragged into the same relegation battle they were in last season.
The Whites stayed up on the final day of the Premier League season last term with a nail-biting win over Brentford securing their top flight status.
While they have a host of promising young talents, including the likes of Wilfried Gnonto, Joe Gelhardt and Crysencio Summerville, Jesse Marsch's side could really do with adding a forward next month.
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With Patrick Bamford no longer a reliable option up front due to his fitness issues, that leaves Leeds with just Rodrigo as the Whites only experienced forward.
Atletico Madrid's Matheus Cunha has been heavily linked with a move to Elland Road, with Leeds said to be desperate to land the Brazilian international. However, they will face competition from a number of Premier League sides for Cunha's signature. The 23-year-old has fallen out with Atletico boss Diego Simeone and the Spanish giants are keen to move Cunha on in January.
But should they miss out on Cunha, like did when they pursued PSV's Cody Gakpo, where could Leeds turn in January to solve their striker problems?
Ben Brereton Diaz
One name Leeds could look to land in January could be Blackburn Rovers forward Ben Brereton Diaz, who they have been previously linked with. The 23-year-old Chilean international has been on fire over the course of the last two seasons at Ewood Park, scoring 32 goals in 63 games.
While Brereton Diaz revealed in November he would be staying at Blackburn, who are currently chasing promotion from the Championship, until the end of this season, the reality is he is out of contract in the summer. A decent fee in January could tempt Rovers to sell their star man, so as to avoid losing him for free in June. Of course, losing Brereton Diaz would be a bitter blow to Blackburn's promotion push.
However, a bigger blow would be keeping the striker, not getting promoted, and then losing him on a free in the summer. A move in January away from Ewood Park is certainly not out of the question.
Charles de Ketelaere
Charles de Ketelaere could be another option Leeds look to explore in January. The AC Milan attacker is someone Leeds supporters will be all too familiar with after the Belgian international was heavily linked to the Whites all summer.
Despite heavy interest from Leeds, de Ketelaere ended up choosing to sign for Serie A champions AC Milan for close to £30m. However, that move has not worked out just yet. The 21-year-old, who registered 18 goals and 10 assists for Club Brugge last season, has yet to find the back of the net for Milan this term and could be set to leave the San Siro in January.
Given Milan's outlay on de Ketelaere, a loan move would be the most sensible option for Leeds. If he did move to Elland Road on loan, and impressed, who knows where he could end up in the summer. Leeds were desperate to land the Belgian last summer and after holding such a strong interest in him then, they would likely pounce at the chance to sign him should the opportunity arise.
Chris Wood
Finally, another name Leeds could turn to is someone else who Whites supporters will be familiar with, namely former Whites forward Chris Wood. Now at Newcastle, Wood is reportedly someone Leeds hold an interest in signing in January. The forward, who previously spent two full seasons with the Whites, left Elland Road back in 2017 to join Burnley.
Of course, it was a move that disappointed many Leeds supporters at the time but it is was an understandable one. Prior to last term, Wood scored double digits in the Premier League in his first four seasons with the Clarets, which is a strong record. With Newcastle struggling without an injured Callum Wilson last term, the Magpies signed Wood from Burnley for £25m.
While His time at St James' Park has hardly been goal laden, he is a proven goalscorer in the Premier League. Leeds could do far worse than look to re-sign the 31-year-old, either on loan or on a permanent.
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