Leeds United Opinion: Whites should go all out in their pursuit of Florian Aye
According to the Mirror, Championship promotion-hopefuls Leeds United are set to battle it out with Premier League clubs West Ham and Southampton for the signature of Clermont Foot striker Florian Aye in the summer.
Aye has made eyeballs turn with his consistently impressive performances in front of goal for Clermont Foot in the French second-tier this season, registering 17 goals and 4 assists from 33 appearances, and his red-hot form has put him on the radar of the English clubs.
The 22-year-old rose to prominence with Auxerre in Ligue 2 before making a move to Clermont Foot last summer and his first season at the Stade Gabriel Montpied has been a prolific one.
The French youth international has starred for a side that currently sit 10th in the Ligue 2 standings and the Mirror claims that he is likely to complete a move to a bigger club at the end of the season.
Interestingly, Aye would be a good signing for all the aforementioned English clubs. While both Southampton and West Ham can look at him as a good long-term investment in a bid to solve their goalscoring woes, Leeds United should also prioritise the signing of a new No.9 in the summer.
And they should do so irrespective of whether they make it to the Premier League via the playoffs or stay in the Championship to challenge for promotion.
The difference between the level of competition in the French second division and the Premier League is quite huge but Aye is a promising youngster, who has plenty of time to make significant improvements in the foreseeable future.
To put things into perspective, Leeds United should do everything in their power to beat off competition from the Premier League clubs and strike a deal for the promising No.9 in the summer.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side would need to win the Championship playoffs in order to secure promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2004, following a poor run of form late in the season.
Leeds have undoubtedly played one of the most attractive brands of football in the English second-tier this season but the lack of depth in the attacking ranks is something that the club need to sort out in the summer.
In fact, Leeds are the only team in the top-five to not have a striker who has scored 20 or more goals in the Championship this season, with Kemar Roofe leading the goalscoring tally at Elland Road with 14.
Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts have put their hands up occasionally but the Whites need a more prolific No.9, irrespective of where they play their football next season. And Florian certainly fits the bill.
Aye has shown strong signs of promise very early in his career, plying his trade in the second-tier and earning a total of 25 caps for his nation at all youth levels comprised upto U-20.
A fast, agile and intelligent striker with decent technical abilities, Aye is noted for his ability to outsmart the defenders with his subtle movement in and around the penalty area, while also possessing the poaching instincts to get on the end of crosses, set-pieces and rebounds.
He has shown a level of maturity that belies his tender years, both in terms of decision-making and composure in front of goal, and he certainly has all the attributes to develop into a prolific No.9 at the highest level.
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Having lacked the presence of a natural goalscorer in the attacking ranks this season, Leeds should go all out in their pursuit of a new striker in the summer and Florian Aye is exactly the kind of player that they should be looking at, though they would need to secure promotion to have a better chance at this deal.
