According to Bild, Leeds United have made an offer to Fortuna Dusseldorf for Japanese midfielder Ao Tanaka in a “hot” chase.
The German tabloid stated on their website on Sunday evening (27 August) that Stuttgart had made an offer of €2.7 million [£2.31 million] for the 24-year-old, but it was rejected, and the Whites have now made a bigger proposal.
As a result, the “World Cup hero” could be on his way to Elland Road and “could move to England in the next few days” before the transfer deadline, as Stuttgart have signed a replacement and moved on.
The excitement grows.
To be fair to the Leeds United hierarchy, they appear to be putting in the effort late in the season to compensate for what has been a tough summer for the fans.
Farke has had to deal with a number of players departing his squad while the club was helpless to stop them due to relegation release clauses.
With an injury crisis on top of everything, with Willy Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra both unavailable as they tried to leave the club, he has had to announce incomplete substitutes benches in the early weeks of the season.
There isn’t much time left, but the atmosphere was drastically different as the Whites recorded their first league win of the season at Ipswich on Saturday, thanks to an attacking blitz including new big-money striker Joel Piroe and two previously wanted-away wingers.
Money has been set aside for a slew of late-season acquisitions, including Kamara, Amiri, Joseph Paintsil, and now Tanaka.
It has already demonstrated that getting them across the line is easier said than done, and the squad obviously needs at least one more in central midfield, but the Japanese international seems promise.
He has only played in Bundesliga 2 since joining from Kawasaki Frontale, but with 15 international caps and goals in two World Cup games last winter, he might be in line to provide much-needed midfield reinforcements at Elland Road.
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