Leeds United's transfer deadline day striker plans in chaos after late hijack by Ligue 1 club

Whites owner Andrea Radrizzani confirmed in a Tweet this afternoon that 22-year-old Senegalese international Dieng was on his way from Marseille as the forward to supplement Jesse Marsch’s attack.

Leeds have wanted a striker all summer but this week failed to land Hwang Hee-chan from Wolves and Cody Gakpo, for whom a deal was agreed on Wednesday night until PSV opted not to sell their star winger.

Attention turned to Dieng today and with a deal agreed for what was a reported sum of just under €10m, Radrizzani took to social media to ask supporters to back the incoming signing.

"Let s [sic] welcome Bamba Dieng and we will continue to work on Gapko [sic],” the majority owner Tweeted.

"Now it s [sic] time to focus on the pitch and support our new project and the great job Jesse and the staff are doing.”

But reports began to emerge in France earlier this evening of a late bid by Nice to change the minds of Marseille and Dieng with a reportedly higher offer for the striker.

And amid that noise, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano broke the news that the Whites had broken off negotiations, with Dieng going to Nice.

A further complication for the Whites is that Daniel James is currently at Craven Cottage where a season-long loan deal was to be completed, after a medical. It is not yet clear if Leeds will pull the plug on that move in what would be an ironic twist given their own last-minute January 2019 deadline day failure to complete the winger’s signing.