According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Leeds United are ready to battle the likes of AC Milan, Lazio and Valencia for the seasong-long loan signing of Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic.
The Yorkshire outfit are keen to bring the Croatian to Elland Road as they look to push for promotion to the Premier League next season, having narrowly missed out on being involved in the race last term.
New Whites boss Thomas Christiansen will be looking to better the seventh-place finish achieved by predecessor Garry Monk, and the Spaniard is sure to have already identified the players he wants to bring to the Championship club this summer.
The 22-year-old Blues star is on his list according to Di Marzio, but he must beat off competition from some of the biggest clubs in Europe to land him, including AC Milan where he spent last season on loan.
United will hope that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte wants the central midfielder to gain some experience in England before potentially becoming a first team star for the Premier League champions in the future.
Here are three reasons Leeds must go all out to complete a loan deal for Pasalic…
Quality
Having been snapped up by Chelsea in 2014 and since spent time out on loan at Elche, AS Monaco and AC Milan, there is no doubt that Pasalic has a great deal of quality.
At just 22 years of age, the Croatian has already played twice for his country while he has made a huge during his spells with Monaco and Milan as a box-to-box midfielder.
That experience at the highest level means that he would likely be a stand-out player in the Championship for Leeds, and potentially help them make their long-awaited return to the Premier League.
Goalscoring record
One of the reasons Chelsea signed Pasalic in the first place was his goalscoring record from midfield – the Croatian netted 11 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for Hadjuk Split the season before moving to England.
The 22-year-old has continued to show that form for Monaco and AC Milan especially, where he scored 12 goals in 56 outings in all competitions for the two European giants.
If the midfielder could bring that sort of goal threat to the Championship outfit next season, it could be the difference between promotion and yet another campaign in England’s second tier.
Point to prove
Having made his mark in France and Italy, the next step for Pasalic may be convincing Chelsea manager Antonio Conte that he can do it in England too as he looks to prove he has a long-term future with the Premier League champions.
That could mean that Leeds hold the advantage in the race to sign the 22-year-old on a season-long loan deal this summer, and would surely also see some eye-catching performances from the Croatia international as he looks to make his mark.
Do you agree, Leeds fans? Let us know below.