Leeds United are looking to sign a new attacker this January and following a breakdown in talks with RB Salzburg for Brenden Aaronson, Marcelo Bielsa has now turned his attention to Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino.
That’s according to a recent report from the Daily Mail, who claims the Whites are trying to bring in a new face before Monday’s transfer deadline.
Minamino, 27, has been with Liverpool since making a £7.7m switch from RB Salzburg two years ago.
MORE: Chelsea set to go all-out to sign shock £90m Premier League sensation
However, after struggling to cement his place in Jurgen Klopp’s preferred starting 11, having failed to start a single Premier League match so far this season, it is becoming increasingly more obvious that the Japan international may have to move on in order to reignite his career.
Understood to be the ideal alternative to Aaronson, who the Whites are struggling to sign, Bielsa could now launch a very late attempt to land Minamino before time runs out in this month’s window.
However, despite their interest, Klopp recently admitted that Minamino is a vital cog in his Liverpool wheel and that could hamper Bielsa’s chances of reaching a late agreement.
Speaking to the club’s official website after his side’s 4-1 win over Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup, the German said: “He is back and very important for us, very, very important – especially when we have a lot of games coming up and, how we all know, that two of our main guys up front are not here. It’s good.
“I liked Taki a lot when he came on. He’s actually in a really good shape but, of course, the injury interrupted it slightly, that’s how it is. But now he’s back, it’s good and we need him desperately.”