Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan insists "it would be a coup" if his former club were to pull off the signing of SC Freiburg centre-back Robin Koch this summer.
The Whites, who are still patiently waiting to find out if they will get the opportunity to continue their push to achieve promotion to the Premier League this season, have been closely linked with a move for the 23-year-old defender ever since the closure of the January transfer window.
Leeds, of course, whether they are kicking-off the 2020/21 campaign in either the Premier League or the Championship, will be desperate to bolster their defensive options next term because on-loan Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Ben White will have returned to his parent club, though it is expected that the Whites will do everything within their power to keep hold of the talented 22-year-old.
But with White highly likely to be in Brighton's plans next season, as well as expected to be a transfer target for a whole host of Premier League clubs, Leeds, who had won five games on the bounce to take them back to the top of the Championship table prior to the suspension of the campaign, may have to look at alternative options to strengthen the centre of their defence.
And for former striker Whelan, who spent the first two years of his career in West Yorkshire, he believes Koch, who made his senior debut for Germany against Argentina back in October, could be just the answer to Marcelo Bielsa's looming problem.
"It would be a coup. We need defenders, there is no doubt about that," Whelan told Football Insider.
"We do not know what is happening with the Ben White situation but it is better to have a backup plan and knowing where else to look so you can fill that void if Ben White does not sign for Leeds United.
"You need these players [like Koch] in reserve and need to have already held contract talks and agreed a fee so when it does happen you are ready to move straight away."
There is no disputing Koch's talent either, with the former Kaiserslautern man having been linked with a move to the Premier League only recently, with David Moyes' West Ham United understood to have shown an interest in landing his signature.
