Leeds United deal with Bayer Leverkusen makes plenty of sense but not if it hinges on Summerville departure: View | OneFootball

Automatic promotion is looking like a tall-order for Leeds United, but plenty of their transfer activity will depend on what league they're in next term, with things becoming clearer for the club over the coming weeks.

If they do gain promotion, Leeds are unlikely to spend ridiculous amounts of money throughout their side, but perhaps one or two big-money signings will be sought. If they are to upgrade in any area with a mega-money addition, then it's likely to be an attacking player, which has been long overdue in terms of a natural striker.

The Whites have plenty of depth out wide, but a centre-forward of real quality could be the difference in survival or the drop. Patrick Bamford has performed well as Leeds' striker this season but is 31 at the start of the next campaign, and a younger model of his type is required up front.

That requires someone with decent mobility and strength to pin players and lead the line as very much a Bamford-analogue, and also the finishing instincts to be a long-term successor in attack, whilst being the focal point to facilitate players such as Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, and Willy Gnonto.

Leeds' potential striker target

Leeds are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen striker Adam Hložek in the summer transfer window, according to a report from SportBILD, via Sport Witness. They say that the newly crowned German champions are themselves keen on a player currently on the books at Elland Road, too.

According to this latest update, Hložek is one of the players that Leverkusen could move on this summer, as they look to make room for new signings. The Czech joined his current club on a five-year deal back in the summer of 2022, and as such, it is suggested that he could be available for around €10million this summer.

It is stated that Serie A duo Roma and Lazio have shown an interest in Hložek, who is also catching the eye of clubs in England, including the Whites. However, Leverkusen are also keen on Crysencio Summerville and could be interested in some sort of swap deal between the two parties.

Whilst Hložek may be a very good prospective signing, Leeds supporters won't want to swap him for Summerville upon promotion to the top flight. In an ideal world, Leeds would keep Summerville, win promotion and spend some of their Premier League earnings on signing a striker, which could well be Hložek.

The 21-year-old hasn't been a regular starter for Bayer Leverkusen this season, but he's performed fairly well when called upon, scoring seven goals in all competitions for his club, who are still remarkably unbeaten in all competitions this season.

Leeds should keep Summerville but sign Hložek

Retaining key players by any means necessary upon promotion has to be the ambition for Leeds, whilst given players like Bamford can't be relied upon for a full season and Joel Piroe suits playing as a withdrawn striker or as part of a front two, a move for a promising young striker with plenty of the attributes required to nail down the starting berth is needed. One with the added bonus of potential resale value like Hložek could be a shrewd signing.

He'll likely continue to develop and grow as a player and could be sold on for more money in the future, whilst he could be available on a cut-price deal due to being out of favour and down the pecking order behind the likes of Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick, who have had the lion's share of minutes in the central striking role.

Few players make their debut before they turn 18 years old, and almost none - other than potentially one of Leeds' own in Archie Gray - can lay claim to more than 50 senior appearances prior to reaching such an age. Much like Gray, Hložek was different, though, breaking through at such a young age to become, not only the youngest-ever player to feature for Sparta Prague and score in the Czech First League but a regular fixture in the starting lineup.

A few years later, after the attacker was courted by a range of top-level European clubs, he ended up with Leverkusen, hoping to take his career to the next level, having been an extremely versatile forward in his home country. He was primarily utilised as a left-winger or a second-striker in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system but was signed with the intention of being honed into a centre-forward.

Hložek simply has a fantastic skillset and all the tools to still make it to an elite level, after a minor setback in terms of developmental game time with his current side. The 21-year-old is a multi-faceted forward, in that he is excellent with the ball at his feet and has good vision and passing abilities, whilst his persistent channel-running is a key feature of his game, particularly in the left-half spaces, irrespective of whether he starts as a striker or inverted left-forward.

Despite his large frame, he is incredibly light on his feet and able to change direction quickly, which enables him to create space which often enables him to execute a pass or a shot. However, Hložek belongs up front, challenging for the ball in the air, and using his strength to hold up play and bring others into the game, which is the area of his game that has seen the most improvement as he has developed and grown into his body.

His physical attributes also allow him to be a tremendously flexible asset from a tactical perspective. His speed and sheer running power means he can stand on the shoulder of the last man and look to dart onto balls in behind the defensive line on the counter, play as a target man that can hold the ball up for others, or shift wide to attack from out to in and unlock space for other team-mates to exploit.

Overall, Hložek has been steadily improving over the last couple of seasons and is enjoying a steady season despite under 1000 minutes of football. Possessing fantastic ability to create separation from his defender combined with good ball-striking off either foot, great athleticism, reading of the game and interpretation of space, as well as willingness to work hard in the channels, he has the world at his feet and how far he progresses will be down to himself from here.

He is an enormously talented player, and with the right coaching and environment, there is no reason why he can’t go on to become one of Europe’s best strikers at some stage. Hložek still has a very bright future ahead of him, but needs to choose his next career move wisely, which could be moving to West Yorkshire to spearhead the Leeds attack, whilst also helping knit the front line together to provide the other forward players a platform to centre their attacks from.

Should they gain promotion, Leeds will need age and experience in some areas of the pitch to add to what is a young group of footballers, but Hložek could add plenty to a forward line that has Piroe and Bamford, which would also allow Mateo Joseph time to gain much-needed further experience of his own out on loan as well.

As good an addition as the Czech forward will be, it cannot be at the expense of Summerville, who has established himself as a vital cog under Farke.