Leeds United are interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Edouard Michut this summer as newly-appointed head coach Daniel Farke crafts a team capable of securing promotion from the Championship.
Farke has already completed his first deal as Whites boss, landing 22-year-old defender Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea for £7m earlier this week, and looks set to invest in youth to ensure the framework at Elland Road breeds success for a lasting period.
And according to the Daily Mail print edition on 20th July [page 70] (via MOT Leeds News), Leeds have now approached the French Ligue 1 champions for the talented French gem, having been handed a boost after the 20-year-old was left out of PSG's pre-season tour, indicating that he is not within the club's plans.
Sunderland, where he had been on loan last season, decided against activating the €2.5m (£2.2m) buy clause this summer despite impressing during his year-long stint in the Championship, but Leeds could now entice the player into returning to England's second tier and cementing a regular starting berth in an outfit hoping for a swift and immediate return to the Premier League.
Could Leeds sign Edouard Michut?
Despite rejecting the Black Cats, transfer insider Dean Jones, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, recently stated that the dynamic midfielder is willing to consider a move to West Yorkshire.
Jones said:
"Michut would offer something a bit different to Leeds and he is open-minded about the move as it could fit his style of play.
"He could have stayed at Sunderland but he wasn’t getting on the ball enough and at Leeds, a side we have to expect will dominate games, would give him more opportunity to get on the ball and make things happen.
"Leeds do have limitations in terms of their spending in the Championship this season and this could be an astute addition."
How good is Edouard Michut?
As per Sofascore, the Frenchman made 24 appearances during his Stadium of Light loan spell last term, starting only 50% of those games, and impressed with the slickness of his passing – completing 88% of his passes – and the consistency and robustness of his tackling – averaging 1.7 per game, on top of 58% total ground duels won per game.
A versatile and dynamic midfielder, scout Jacek Kulig previously illustrated his flexibility and aptitude across the defensive, central and attacking sections of the middle third, highlighting his most notable qualities as a playmaker with 'great agility, flair and coordination' and a 'very good technical ability.'
Farke's position in the Leeds dugout could well be the defining factor that could edge a deal over the line, should it indeed be completed, with the German boss's previous experience in nurturing promising talent underscoring the wave that Michut could ride.
James Maddison plied his trade under the 46-year-old manager at Norwich City, making 49 appearances under Farke's wing and scoring 15 goals and supplying 12 assists before completing a £24m transfer to Leicester City in 2018.
Maddison, while primarily playing as an attacking midfielder, is also adept from a deeper position at the kernel of the midfield, and given his own playmaking prowess, ranking among the top 11% of positional peers for assists and the top 13% for shot-creating actions per 90 over the past year, as per FBref, could be the perfect player for Michut to emulate.
Journalist Josh Bunting also highlighted Michut's unrelenting intensity by waxing lyrical over his knack at covering "every blade" on the pitch, and for such a diligent, hard-working youngster, it might just be that he harnesses his prodigious talent under Farke's tutelage at Leeds.
As such, the German head coach could unearth his next young midfield star if the Whites' hierarchy sanctions a move for the PSG whiz.
