Orta could still land "phenomenal" target as Leeds remain interested in £52m signing - opinion

Ryan Taylor has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Otavio.

In a recent article for The Express, the journalist claimed that, despite Victor Orta’s recent £22m capture of Feyenoord winger Luis Sinisterra, the Spanish director of football could yet continue his pursuit of further additions to strengthen the wide attacking areas of Jesse Marsch’s squad – with one name of interest said to be FC Porto’s Otavio.

Taylor continued to state that, with Sinisterra favouring a position on the left of a front-three, the Whites could still be in the market for a right-footed forward following the impending sale of Raphina – who looks set to join one of Arsenal, Chelsea or Barcelona in a deal worth north of £55m.

Considering just how impressive Otavio was for Porto last season, Taylor’s claim that Orta remains keen on a move for the 27-year-old forward this summer is sure to be news the Elland Road faithful will love.

Indeed, over his 32 Liga Portugal appearances in 2021/22, the £27m-rated talent was in electric form for the Dragões, scoring three goals, providing 13 assists and creating 17 big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 2.3 key passes, taking 1.6 shots and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

The £32k-per-week attacker who Alex Goncalves labelled “phenomenal” also chipped in at the back, making an average of 3.2 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 0.5 clearances and winning 7.4 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per fixture.

These metrics saw the seven-cap Portugal international average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.48, ranking him not only as Sergio Conceicao’s best performer in the league but also as the joint third-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, it