Leeds United kicked off their 2024/25 campaign with a frustrating 3-3 draw with newly-promoted Portsmouth at Elland Road in the Championship on Saturday.
The Whites of course lined up without Crysencio Summerville starring down the left flank for Daniel Farke after his £25m+ move to West Ham United was confirmed earlier this month. He fired in 19 goals and set up nine for his teammates in 43 games during the regular season for the West Yorkshire outfit last term and the club are now working to find a replacement for him.
The summer transfer window officially slams shut at the end of this month and Leeds have reportedly turned their attention to a starlet from the Premier League alongside their protracted interest in Jonathan Rowe.
Leeds miss out after bid for Premier League gem
According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon (11/08/2024), the 49ers launched a bid to sign Jesurun Rak-Sakyi from Crystal Palace. The reporter claims that the Whites came in with a £15m offer to sign the English sensation, who was once hailed as "remarkable" by former boss Roy Hodgson, on a permanent deal this summer.
The Premier League outfit would prefer to send him out on loan however, having reportedly already agreed loan terms with both the Whites and Sheffield United, and it seems the Blades have now won the race, with Sky Sports reporting he will head to Bramall Lane for a medical ahead of a season-long loan.
Leeds had moved for Rak-Sakyi in the wake of Marseille joining the race for their other wing target Rowe, who sparked controversy on Saturday by withdrawing himself from contention to play for Norwich City on the opening day of the season against Oxford United.
Interestingly, South London Press reporter Edmund Brack claims that the Canaries also made a late play to sign Rak-Sakyi on loan as a replacement for Rowe, whilst Leeds were eyeing the forward as an alternative to the Norwich star.
Missing out on Rak-Sakyi is a gut punch for Leeds
Replacing the goals and assists that Summerville provided on the left flank for the club last season was always going to be a difficult task for Leeds, hence why West Ham splashed out in excess of £25m to sign a player with his qualities.
This means that Farke and the 49ers may have to gamble and hope that a player can make the step up, which is why Rak-Sakyi was an ideal target. He is yet to prove himself at Championship level but his form on loan at Charlton in League One suggests that the potential is there for him to be a threat at the top end of the pitch.
Appearances
43
Goals
15
Assists
8
Big chances created
5
Key passes per game
1.3
Completed dribbles per game
1.8
The 21-year-old whiz provided goals and assists on a regular basis from a wide role in the third tier during the 2022/23 campaign. Rak-Sakyi could offer a greater threat than Rowe in the final third, as the Norwich ace scored 12 goals and assisted two in 32 league outings last term, if he can make the step up and translate his League One contributions over to the Championship.
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