Leeds in extensive talks to sign player on £42,000-a-week more than any of the current team - report

Founder & Managing Director AUTHORITY Former chief correspondent at Evening Standard, Goal and Press Association with nearly three decades in national, regional and digital news and sports journalism. Wayne directs the network’s news strategy and high-level operations. FOCUS Editorial direction for the 11-site network and newsroom management. THE BRIEF Wayne oversees the network’s editorial standards across the network. He provides the final sign-off on all headline scoops, ensuring content across all platforms meets the standards required for a high-velocity newsroom.

Published on:

16 Aug 2017, 11:46 am

By Harry Sykes

Leeds United are in advanced talks to sign Hamburg striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga but have yet to reach agreement on the terms of the deal, according to a report.

European football site Inside Futbol, citing German news agency DPA, claim the Championship promotion hopefuls are in negotiations with their German counterparts over the price of the purchase option set in the loan agreement for the 25-year-old.

It is said that Leeds hope to take Lasogga on an initial loan with an option to buy at the end of the season for £1.8million.

Inside Futbol report that the Yorkshire giants also want Hamburg to pay a significant portion of the forward's £57,000-a-week wages while he is in England.

Lasogga is on £57,000-a-week at the Bundesliga club, which is reportedly £42,000-a-week more than Leeds' top earner, who takes home £15,000-a-week.

It has been widely stated that Hamburg want to offload Lasogga as they look to slash their wage bill before the transfer window shuts.

Lasosgga was omitted from the Hamburg squad for Sunday’s German Cup defeat against Osnabruck last weekend and is now said to be the club's fifth-choice striker.

He scored only one league goal last season, and just two from 22 matches in all competitions, but has accumulated an impressive 30 goals in 107 Hamburg games.

Football Insider verdict:

Leeds would be having their cake and eating it with this deal, should it be signed and sealed at a loan with a £1.8m option and the Germans subsidising a huge chunk of his wages. It would enable them to have Lasogga in their squad for a season and assess whether he is worthy of a fee that even the penny-pinching Yorkshire club would consider to be reasonable. A horrible 2016-17 apart, the German has an eye-catching track record, especially when the quality of the Bundesliga is taken into account. Should he live up to his reputation, the 25-year-old could prove to be an absolute bargain.

In other Leeds United news, Football Insider can exclusively reveal that three Premier League clubs have tabled formal bids for Wood.

We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Leeds breaking news.

Leeds United

Pierre-Michel Lasogga