Leeds United are set to push Mikael Forssell’s trial into next week with a view to taking a chance on the former Chelsea striker.
Forssell is pushing for a contract at Elland Road after appearing in a reserve-team friendly against Middlesbrough on Tuesday, and he was due to train with United’s squad at Thorp Arch again this morning.
The Finnish international is emerging as a serious option for Leeds as the Championship club look to strengthen their resources in the absence of three other strikers, Luciano Becchio and Davide Somma included.
Forssell is a free agent after his release by German club Hannover 96 but his career has been badly affected by injury and Leeds were keen to analyse his fitness after a recent Achilles problem.
The 30-year-old, who also played for Birmingham City and Crystal Palace during a decade in England, arrived at Thorp Arch on Monday on the back of a three-week trial at West Ham United, and he appears to be ready to resume his career in the Football League.
Leeds manager Simon Grayson watched Forssell in a 2-1 defeat to Boro and said: “He’s a bit short of match fitness but he’s shown the qualities we’ve seen in him before.”
United added another striker to their first-team squad on Monday by signing Andy Keogh on a half-season loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers but Becchio is unlikely to return from a hamstring injury until next month and Somma’s knee ligament injury will keep him on the sidelines until the new year. Billy Paynter is presently struggling with a thigh strain.
Another trialist, American forward Tony Taylor, played alongside Forssell in Tuesday’s behind-closed-doors fixture.
Taylor, 22, is a former USA Under-20 international who spent time in Portugal with Estoril Praia.
But Felix Luz - the German striker who scored three times for Leeds in a reserve game at Farsley on August 6 - has left Thorp Arch after failing to earn a deal.
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