The ‘shock’ Leeds United transfer link and what rival boss has said on player’s future

Leeds United are reportedly planning to reignite their previous interest in Southampton striker Che Adams.

According to an update from The Sun, the Whites are plotting a ‘shock’ swoop for the Scotland international, and are hoping that a fee of around £10 million could be enough to convince their Premier League rivals into a sale.

Leeds have been linked with Adams in the past, and were heavily touted to take the 26-year-old to Elland Road in early 2020.

Here’s everything his manager, Ralph Hasenhuttl, has said on the player’s future at St. Mary’s.

What has Hasenhuttl said about Adams’ future at Southampton?

While the Saints’ boss hasn’t specifically addressed Adams’ future with Southampton in recent times, he has dropped a couple of hints on how he views his striking situation on the south coast.

The Austrian is understood to be in the market for attacking reinforcements of his own, but has also suggested that deals for goalscorers can often prove to be the most costly.

Speaking to Southampton’s YouTube channel recently, he said: “We still have to bring some players in, we know this, especially on the position up front where we lost players.

“Everybody knows we need to do something there, and the earlier they come, the better it is and the better you can implement them in the team. But for us, we could work quite well so far with the team and now the games are coming up and this is the final preparation for a tough season.”

Hasenhuttl was then asked if a striker is the hardest position to recruit for, to which he replied: “When you say hardest, with the most expensive one, then yes.”

At the time of writing, Adams is one of just two recognised centre-forwards in the Saints’ squad, alongside Adam Armstrong.

What has Hasenhuttl said about Leeds’ interest in Adams?

Again, Hasenhuttl has not directly referenced Leeds interest in Adams of late, but has previously spoken about the Whites’ attempts to sign the Scotland international during the January transfer window back in 2020.

Speaking before his side faced Leeds in April of this year, the Saints boss said: “It was never a question to let him [Adams] go because we knew that he is an important striker for us.

“In the past he showed he definitely helps us scoring goals. We lost Danny Ings in the summer, so there was never a question [of him going], we wanted to keep him. In the future, he could be a very important player for us for the long term.

“He is now part of the Scottish team and hopefully will be part of the World Cup, not yet, but maybe. It is good to see him developing his game. He loves being at the club and he feels comfortable here. He has to keep progressing, you are never happy enough and there is still a lot of room to develop.”