Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Leeds Live
Leeds Live
Sport
Oscar Haley

Liverpool's Takumi Minamino and ex-Newcastle man among forwards Leeds United could target

There's no question that Leeds United must strengthen ahead of next season. They came perilously close to falling back into the Championship this year, surviving thanks to a final day win over Brentford.

Going forward, Leeds need to add some attacking threat. They are at their most dangerous when they are going at the opposition with energy and guile.

With rumours aplenty about the future of Raphinha, Leeds could have a sizeable sum of money to spend on a number of targets to replace the Brazilian winger's outlay.

A striker must also be a priority given Patrick Bamford's injury struggles this season. LeedsLive runs the rule of three targets the Whites could consider.

READ MORE: RB Salzburg right-back Rasmus Kristensen profiled amid Leeds United links

Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin)

24-year-old striker Taiwo Awoniyi enjoyed a breakthrough campaign this season with Union Berlin in the Bundesliga.

Formerly a Liverpool prospect, Awoniyi has bounced around Europe via a number of loan spells before joining Union permanently last summer, where he has thrived this season.

The Nigerian forward bagged himself 15 goals in the league this season as he helped Union to a historic fifth place finish - the best in the clubs history.

The reality is, he might not be cheap. But these days, goalscorer's aren't. Leeds United's attack looked toothless without Patrick Bamford. Joe Gelhardt is still young and Rodrigo has hardly proved prolific in his two seasons at Elland Road. Finding a striker like Awoniyi must be a priority for Leeds this summer.

Takumi Minamino (Liverpool)

Takumi Minamino would be a really smart signing for Leeds. The Japanese international has previously worked under Jesse Marsch at Red Bull Salzburg and has proven to be a valuable squad player at Liverpool this season.

He scored ten goals in 24 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions this season, and can play multiple different positions. The Reds didn't break the back to sign him back in January 2020, with Minamino only costing £7.25m.

Therefore it would seem likely Minamino would be available for a reasonable price. At 27, he is in his prime and finds himself at the bottom of the pecking order at Anfield. While Sadio Mane looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, that still leaves Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota all ahead of Minamino.

The Japanese winger would be an excellent signing for Leeds and he could prove to be a solid Raphinha replacement.

Joselu (Alaves)

While he didn't exactly hit the ground running at Newcastle following his 2017 move from Stoke, Joselu has been excellent in the last three seasons for Alaves in La Liga.

The Spanish striker has registered tallies of 11, 11 and 12 in his last three La Liga campaigns. Even more impressive was the fact the 12 he scored this season came in just 24 games for an Alaves side that finished bottom of the table.

While he is no spring chicken at 32-years-old, the rangy 6ft4 striker would certainly offer something different in attack for Leeds. Due to his age and Alaves' recent relegation, he could prove to be cheap too. The only question mark is whether or not he would revert back to his Newcastle form if he did make the jump back to the Premier League.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.