Report: Leeds lead race for £21.5m international midfielder who 'can do a bit of everything'

By Giuseppe Labellarte

Leeds United are the club ‘most determined’ to sign Hamed Junior Traore, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Whites have hit the ground running in the summer transfer window.

Leeds have brought Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Marc Roca to Elland Road these past few weeks.

However, it looks as though Jesse Marsch wants more players through the door.

On Thursday, Gazzetta dello Sport published an article covering Leeds’ and AC Milan’s reported interest in Traore.

The Italian outlet – via Sport Witness – claims that Sassuolo chairman Giovanni Carnevali ‘has seen the telephone light up several times.

‘The number had a foreign prefix’, added the report.

Those were ‘expressions of interest’, with some even coming from Italy (specifically Milan), wanting to find out if Traore was for sale.

However, ‘the point is that no one has gone from words to deeds’, and ‘no one apart from Leeds has pushed the deal forward’.

Apparently, the Whites are ‘the most determined at the moment’ to land the Ivory Coast international.

That said, the article also suggests that Milan would be a good option for Traore.

Leeds, or any other suitors, ‘will have to bring offers of €25million (£21.5million) upwards, perhaps with a complex proposal’.

‘Real drive through midfield’

Traore is a young talent of the highest calibre, who plenty of fans in Italy and Ivory Coast rate highly.

Already as far back as 2019, outlets were tipping him for a huge future in the game.

Breaking the Lines named Traore in their ‘top 10 talents to follow at AFCON 2019’ article.

Meanwhile, Forbes wrote in 2020 that ‘Champions League clubs soon come calling’ for Traore.

Forbes also wrote: ‘During his senior career to date Traore has played either as an attacking midfielder or a box-to-box central midfielder.

‘He’s a right-footed player but is not afraid to use his left when required.

‘Given his attributes, it’s easy to imagine him playing anywhere through the middle, from defensive midfielder to a striker. But it is between these two roles he is likely to find his feet.

‘As a player who can do a bit of everything, he could be best utilised in one of the more attacking central midfield positions.

‘Here he can operate as either the box-to-box player in a two-man midfield, or as the No. 10 ahead of them.

‘In a midfield three he would be ideal as a free-eight, often joining the front line as well as working in deeper areas should the flow of the game require, whether that be in defence or attack.

‘Traore has a real drive through midfield… and has dribbling ability to go with his creativity.’

Talented, versatile, boasting a high ceiling and reportedly available for a relatively low fee – sounds like a great shout for Leeds.