Chelsea eye £86m ex-Leeds United target as fans’ favourite admits Elland Road struggles

There is no winter break for Leeds United as they continue their relentless Championship quest for promotion. While Premier League clubs rest up, the Whites must prepare for Preston North End looking to exert revenge.

It has only been three weeks since a 10-man United lost at Deepdale and Daniel Farke is aiming to put the record straight at Elland Road on Sunday. Here is your daily Leeds digest - which includes another near miss in the transfer market.

Chelsea approach ex-Leeds target

Sporting Lisbon have rejected a £73million bid from Chelsea for former Leeds target Viktor Gyokeres, according to reports from Portugal. Just a year ago, the Whites were refusing to stump up £25million to sign the Swedish sensation.

Coventry City were playing hardball, with Leeds only prepared to pay £14million. Gyokeres, capable of playing several positions across the frontline, bagged 21 goals in the Championship for the Bluebirds last season. A summer move to Portugal beckoned, with Sporting getting their man for around €20million. But Record now claim Chelsea have hit a wall when trying to sign the Swede six months later.

Mauricio Pochettino is keen to bolster his frontline to take the heat off under-fire striker Nicolas Jackson. Gyokeres has a reported £86million buyout clause and the Portguese giants are refusing to accept any lower.

Fans' favourite reveals struggles

Lucas Radebe has revealed it was not all sunshine and rainbows during his early days at Elland Road. The defender proved a hit during his 11 years in West Yorkshire but struggled to acclimatise after moving from South African side Kaizer Chiefs.

“When I signed for Leeds, it was a difficult introduction to English football,” Radebe told FourFourTwo. “The change of environment was a shock to my system. It was my first time travelling that far away from South Africa, leaving everybody I knew at home. It was hard to adapt to the weather and the football culture.

“Games were very physical and the tempo was high. Early on at Leeds, I panicked and made mistakes in games. Phil and I both worked really hard, but he got into the team first. I usually sat on the bench and would be ice-cold from head to toe. At some grounds, it was freezing and I couldn’t cope with it!”