Kinnear could unearth the next Tevez with Leeds bid for "exceptional" £12.8m talent - opinion

According to a number of recent reports, Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring New York City FC centre-forward, Valentin Castellanos, to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, 90min reported last week that Leeds officials – including Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear – were spotted in the United States, with the Whites believed to be in talks with the Major League Soccer side regarding a deal for the 23-year-old striker.

However, further reports have claimed that West Ham United are also extremely interested in the former Argentina U23 international, with the Hammers believed to be willing to meet the forward’s £12.8m asking price this summer.

Considering how exciting a talent Castellanos evidently is, in addition to the signing of a new centre-forward reported to be one of Leeds’ priorities in the summer transfer window, it is easy to see why the Kinnear would be keen on a move for the NYCFC starlet.

Indeed, over his 35 MLS appearances last season, the £10.8m-rated forward was in breathtaking form for Ronny Deila’s side, scoring 22 goals, registering eight assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 4.1 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the 23-year-old who Conor McGilligan dubbed both “exceptional” and an “absolutely perfect” fit for Jesse Marsch earn a quite remarkable seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.28, ranking him not only as his club’s second-best performer in the league but also as the 21st-best player in the division as a whole.

It has been a similar story over his 11 league outings in 2022, with the £3.5k-per-week striker having already bagged seven goals, registered one assist and created four