Leeds United ‘show interest’ in £14m Arsenal linked defender and ‘ready to battle’ Norwich City for midfielder

The dust has settled at Elland Road on the sacking of Javi Gracia and appointment of Sam Allardyce as head coach and the former England boss now has to get down to work.

Leeds United have just four matches remaining to secure their Premier League status and that starts this weekend with probably the most difficult task they could have asked for, away to Manchester City. Meanwhile, there are still plenty of transfer news stories making the headlines in the background as the summer window approaches.

The Whites are now being linked with a defender who has impressed in the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup finals in recent seasons and is also thought to be of interest to Arsenal. Elsewhere, there is also talk that the Yorkshire club could move for a highly-rated Belgian midfielder but could face competition from sides currently in the EFL Championship. Here are the latest Leeds United transfer news stories on Thursday, May 4:

Leeds United ‘show interest’ in Arsenal linked defender

Per a report from HITC (via Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti) Leeds United have shown an interest in signing Dinamo Zagreb defender Josip Sutalo with Arsenal also keen. The article claims that Leeds are preparing a bid and are prepared to put €16million (£14million) on the table to try and sign Sutalo.

However, any deal for Sutalo will apparently hinge on United securing their status as a Premier League side with the player not keen to play in the EFL Championship next season. The report describes Arsenal as ‘lurking’ and the Gunners have previously been well documented as being in the market for defensive reinforcements in the summer.

Leeds United to ‘battle’ Norwich City ad Blackburn Rovers for Belgian midfielder

Leeds United are prepared to battle it out with Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers to the signing of Mandela Keita, according to CaughtOffside (via Het Nieuwsblad). The 20-year old Belgian currently plays for Royal Antwerp on loan from OH Leuven.

It is claimed that Antwerp has an option to buy in their loan deal but might not be able to front up the €10 million fee required. That is what has alerted clubs in England to the potential availability of the highly rated Belgium under 21 international.