Victor Orta could seal "amazing" signing with late Leeds bid for £15m "maverick" - opinion

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Neal Maupay to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that, following Patrick Bamford’s latest injury scare, Victor Orta is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Brighton & Hove Albion centre-forward ahead of launching a potential swoop for the 26-year-old in the coming weeks.

However, Leeds are not alone in their interest in the former France U21 international, with Nottingham Forest already reported to have had a £15m bid accepted for the striker, while Everton and Fulham have also made contact with the Seagulls regarding a deal for the former Brentford forward.

With it being well known that Orta is hoping to add a new centre-forward to Jesse Marsch’s attacking arsenal at Elland Road prior to September’s transfer deadline, a desire that is only likely to have intensified following Bamford’s latest setback, it is not difficult to see why the Spaniard would be interested in a deal to bring the 26-year-old to Elland Road.

Indeed, following his £20m move from Brentford back in 2019, the £16.2m-rated talent highly impressed over his 37 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign for the Seagulls, scoring ten goals, registering three assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

The £50k-per-week hitman once again caught the eye over his 33 league fixtures in 2020/21, bagging eight goals, providing two assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.2 shots and making one key pass per outing.

It was a similar story over the Frenchman’s 32 top flight appearances last time out,