Leeds United ready to pay £20 million to sign Chimy Avila

Leeds United are chalking up a transfer move for Osasuna’s Argentine striker Chimy Avila and are willing to offer £20 million for him.

According to a report in Fichajes, Leeds United are interested in roping Chimy Avila to their ranks and could raid Osasuna to execute their interest in January. The 28-year-old has netted six times in La Liga so far.

Following two major injuries, the Argentine striker is back to his groove and has looked sharp with each passing game. Avila renewed his stay for another four years this year and also has a release clause in his current deal.

Leeds are not willing to pay the amount in full and are ready to sign the contract for a much lesser amount, to the tune of £20 million. The Whites have struggled for consistency in front of the goal as apart from Rodrigo Moreno, all of their attackers have endured a very poor form of spell. That has prompted Jesse Marsch to search for an alternative solution in the transfer market.

Back-to-back wins in the Premier League have lifted Leeds to 12th place, and the manager is very eager to maintain their current momentum. Leeds will be digging deep in January to improve their squad and adding another striker to their fold would be of major importance. They have already shown interest in Boulaye Dia.

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The upcoming World Cup is bound to disrupt every club’s current motion, and the Whites could only expect positive things when the league resumes in December. Sevilla are also very keen to sign the player but might find the amount a bit hard to afford.

The Spanish giants are currently battling to turn the tide in their favour as they are deeply engaged in a relegation battle. So Leeds are the front-runners for Avila’s signature and the lure of playing in the world’s top league might be too hard to resist.

The Whites will also likely offer the player a significant pay rise which could further sweeten the deal. As of now, there are no significant competitors in their way and it might be a cakewalk for the club if they really want to seal this transfer as soon as possible. But it will be interesting to see if a £20 million offer is enough to land the Argentine striker.