Leeds United may be set to replace Liam Cooper after source’s near-£30m transfer news – pundit
Danny Mills has claimed Josko Gvardiol could be set to replace Liam Cooper at the heart of the Leeds United defence.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Whites and England defender admitted Cooper cannot play at Premier League level for too much longer.
The 30-year-old has missed over three months of the season with injury but returned to the starting XI in the last two games.
A Leeds source told Football Insider yesterday (14 April) they are stepping up their interest in Gvardiol of RB Leipzig who they have tracked since the summer of 2020.
Victor Orta is understood to be a fan of the Croatia international, 20, who Leipzig value at £27million.
“Leeds need to strengthen in every position,” Mills told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“Cooper cannot go on forever. We’ve seen that Llorente is injured far too often.
“What would be your centre-back pairing? Cooper and another but Cooper’s not going to be able to last forever, especially at the Premier League level.
“That’s a decent signing and then you’re looking at another centre-forward.
“If you were told Leeds will bring in a really good centre-half and a really good centre-forward you’d say that’s very good business, not bad at all. That’s working on the assumption that Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha are staying.
“If they stay and you add a couple of players one at the back and one up front, you look a lot stronger because of that.”
Cooper is under contract at Elland Road until the summer of 2024 – just before his 34th birthday.
The Scotland international has played almost 250 times across all competitions for the Whites since his move from Chesterfield back in the summer of 2014.
In other news, a Leeds United employee is excited by Adam Forshaw after ‘seeing him last night’.