By support

23rd Nov, 2016 | 12:59pm

Leeds eye striker in January window - report

By Will Butcher

Leeds will use January to sign a number of their loan stars on a permanent basis and buy a new striker, according to a report.

Garry Monk’s side currently have five first-team stars on loan from other clubs, including the likes of centre-back duo Pontus Jansson and Kyle Bartley.

The Yorkshire Evening Post claim that a forward will also be targeted by Leeds during the January transfer window, as Marcus Antonsson and Souleymane Doukara fail to provide adequate competition for top scorer Chris Wood.

It is said that “certain” loan deals will be also be made permanent, with Hadi Sacko, Matt Grimes and Pablo Hernandez the other three temporarily at Elland Road, after signing on with the former Champions League side in the summer.

The Yorkshire Evening Post claimed the Championship club have an “option” to purchase the Sweden international Jansson when he has played 20 matches for the club. Jansson has so far made 13 league and cup appearances.

Standing in as captain in place of the injured Liam Bridcutt, Bartley has become a mainstay of Monk’s side and could be signed permanently in January.

Fellow Swansea loanee Grimes has struggled so far, while Sacko’s standards have slipped following an impressive start as he struggles to regain his starting spot from the bench.

One-time Spain international Hernandez has enthralled Leeds fans with a number of impressive performances on loan from Qatari said Al-Arabi, and he could be another to cut ties with his parent club.

In terms of a striker, Leeds have been rumoured to reignite interest in Ashley Fletcher from West Ham, after failing to lure him to Elland Road in the summer.

Football Insider verdict:

The signings of Jansson, Bartley and Hernandez would all be considered as huge steps in the right direction by fans, given their key role in Leeds’ rise towards the Championship playoffs. Sporting Lisbon loanee Hadi Sacko has shown glimpses of brilliance on the right of Leeds’ attack, but has not proved consistent enough for a starting spot let along a permanent deal from the Portuguese giants. England Under-21’s international Grimes is unlikely to be offered a permanent deal from Swansea, unless he can dramatically turn around his form. If a striker is signed, it is difficult to see how he will fit in. Wood is Leeds’ undisputed first-choice forward, with Monk favouring a one-striker system.

In other Leeds transfer news, these five stars could leave in January.