Leeds United enter race for Japanese keeper amid European interest originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Leeds United have entered the Summer transfer window looking to build on their squad following a mid-table finish in the last season. The Peacocks are being tied to a free transfer move for Julian Brandt, following the conclusion of his contract with Borussia Dortmund, a team that he’s been a part of for seven seasons at this point.
The German would certainly add some quality depth to the Elland Road attack, as well as some serious experience given his Champions League pedigree, but Leeds’ interest in improving their team doesn’t stop in the forward section, as they’re looking between the sticks.
Leeds joins the fray for Suzuki
As reported by TEAMtalk’s Fraser Fletcher, the Whites are looking towards a move for Parma’s Zion Suzuki in the coming weeks, which will fulfill a long-term interest of adding some shot-stopping ability to their team.
“First up, it was confirmed several months ago that a new goalkeeper will be high on their summer radar,” writes Fletcher. “That plan has now taken a small step forward after sources confirmed interest in Japan star Zion Suzuki.”
Suzuki is in the midst of a World Cup campaign with the Japanese National Team, having played a sizeable part in their opening draw against the Netherlands last week, as well as coming off of a consistent season with Parma, recording six clean sheets while making 68 saves. While these numbers aren’t all too impressive, especially when you compare them to his debut season with the Italian side, Suzuki certainly shows promise, as seen in his outings with Japan.
The Whites’ interest in the Serie A shot stopper might sound somewhat random, but they were set to be looking for additional depth between the sticks as long-time mainstay Illan Meslier departed the club after a seven-year run at Elland Road.
One interesting angle to the story of Leeds’ interest is that they aren’t the only Premier League side looking at the Japanese keeper, with Aston Villa being linked to Suzuki in recent times, as a potential replacement for Emiliano Martinez, who was being contacted by Juventus in Italy. But according to Fletcher, it appears that several of the bigger teams across Europe are now looking at the 23-year-old.
“Sources also link Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Napoli as having kept tabs on his services, highlighting Suzuki’s growing reputation across Europe,” Fletcher writes.
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