Leeds United transfer news: 'Agreement in principle' reached for striker in £19.6m deal

Leeds United have reportedly made progress in their efforts to sign Lecce forward Nikola Krstovic.

On Monday evening, the Yorkshire giants formally announced that they had wrapped up a deal for Udinese centre-back Jaka Bijol.

Although the Championship winners have committed in excess of £15m to that addition, it has become clear that they are willing to spend big in order to further strengthen their squad.

Last week, a report emerged that suggested that Krstovic had become their preferred target when it comes to adding quality to their attack.

Lecce were said to have taken the stance that they wanted to recoup in the region of €35m (£29.86m) for the Montenegro international's signature.

Leeds make Krstovic breakthrough?

With Leeds highly unlikely to be prepared to pay that sum, negotiations would be required to keep their chances alive.

As per Corriere dello Sport, Leeds have now reached what is described as an 'agreement in principle' with the Serie A outfit.

The report suggests that €23m (£19.62m) is enough for Lecce to give the green light to a sale.

Krstovic has allegedly not agreed to a move to Elland Road at this stage, though, with Leeds needing to improve their proposal for the 25-year-old.

Eleven goals and five assists came from his 37 Serie A appearances last season, taking him to 18 strikes from 72 outings in the competition.

Six goals have also been scored from 24 appearances for Montenegro.

Major move made by Leeds?

Despite Leeds being free-scoring in last season's Championship, they are in need for a new number nine to challenge Joel Piroe.

Mateo Joseph appears more likely to leave Elland Road than stay put, while Patrick Bamford did not make a single second-tier start in 2024-25.

Krstovic may not necessarily be the big name that Leeds fan crave but, like with Bijol, he brings experience and physicality to the squad ahead of the return to the Premier League.

Written by
Darren Plant