Leeds plot swoop for PL striker, potential announcement within hours – report
By Danny Wright
Leeds are plotting a loan move for Chelsea striker Ike Ugbo, according to a report.
All Nigeria Soccer claims that Wolves, Bristol City and Dutch outfit Vitesse are also keeping tabs on the Premier League youngster, who is yet to earn his first appearance in senior football.
It is understood that Ugbo is currently training with Chelsea’s “loan group”, a separate entity to their Under-23 and first-team squads.
The report adds that the Premier League champions could potentially announce the striker’s exit within hours on Saturday, after their friendly clash with Crawley Town.
Ugbo has been on the book at Stamford Bridge since 2007 and has been in outstanding form for their development squads in recent seasons.
He has had to compete with the likes of Tammy Abraham and Dominic Solanke in the Chelsea youth set-up in recent years, and has more than stepped up to the plate, especially last season as he netted 11 goals in 21 appearances in Premier League 2.
Across all competitions with both the Chelsea Under-23 and Under-18 squads, Ugbo found the net on 23 occasions in 35 appearances.
All Nigeria Soccer adds that the Stamford Bridge club have given the “green light” for Ugbo to move to a Championship team this summer.
Football Insider Verdict
Leeds already have a number of strikers on their books at the moment, so it would make little sense for them to sound out a loan deal for Ugbo. Although he has a lot of potential, a loan switch to Elland Road might end up being detrimental to his progression if anything, as it’s highly unlikely he will be able to oust Chris Wood from Thomas Christiansen’s first-team. The Whites also have Souleymane Doukara and Marcus Antonsson who can play up front, as well as new arrival Samu Saiz, but he is expected to adopt a deeper-lying No 10 role in the Leeds attack. Christiansen needs to start bolstering his defence next.
In other Leeds news, Andrea Radrizzani has delivered a message to the fans after this shocking piece of pre-season news was announced.
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