According to Globo Esporte, Leeds United have submitted a bid for Basel striker Arthur Cabral.
What’s the word?
With Jean-Kevin Augustin’s long-term future at the club still uncertain as the Whites try to avoid signing the Frenchman on a permanent basis this summer, it’s no surprise to see Marcelo Bielsa’s side being linked with a move for a new striker.
Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…
World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%
Brazilian publication Globo Esporte claim that Leeds have offered €15m (£14m) upfront plus €3m (£2.7m) in bonuses. The report adds that despite Basel trying to hold out for €20m (£18.1m), there is optimism that a deal can be struck between the two sides, with Cabral said to be excited at the prospect of playing in the Premier League next season.
And perhaps in a boost to Leeds’ chances of signing him, it’s said the negotiations are being handled by agent Paulo Pitombeira, who has a previous relationship with Bielsa, having orchestrated Thiago Mendes’ move to Lille when the Argentine was manager.
Another Augustin disaster
Whilst Cabral has performed well for Basel – he scored 18 goals in 39 games in the 2019/2020 campaign – the 22-year-old just isn’t the kind of proven Premier League option that Leeds could desperately do with.
If fans of the Elland Road side haven’t been too impressed with Patrick Bamford, then they would shudder at the thought that their starting number nine has netted just once in 27 previous top-flight games.
Augustin’s signing back in January was no doubt done with the thought of providing Bamford with some serious competition, but at just 23, and arriving from abroad, it was no surprise that he failed to hit the ground running. In the end, he played just three times in the Championship and didn’t score at all.
Cabral is a year younger than the Frenchman, and comes from a far less high-profile league than Ligue 1. A move for the Basel ace is very much a gamble by Victor Orta, and it’s one that he perhaps shouldn’t take. As Leeds look to survive in their first season back in the Premier League, players with previous top-flight experience is just what’s needed. Not another young, unproven and wholly untested player.