Leeds United Put On Backfoot As Star’s ‘Preferred Destination’ Emerges | OneFootball

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Leeds United have suffered a blow in the hunt for 22-year-old Bilal Nadir as he prefers the idea of a move to Germany this summer.

The Moroccan midfielder is about to see his contract run out with Marseille and will leave at the end of June as he looks for the next chapter in his career.

Given his age and potential, with Nadir’s technical skills and work rate standing out, a host of sides have been positioning themselves to scoop him up.

Leeds are keen to taking Nadir to Elland Road, with the Whites having had success with players out of contract last summer.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha were both a success at Elland Road and, with an eye on meeting the Premier League’s new SCR rules, Nadir is an attractive target.

However, they have strong competition from Germany to contend with.

Two clubs, Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart, appreciate the player and are pushing to convince him to move to Germany, according top French outlet Foot Mercato.

A bigger issue for Leeds is that Nadir sees ‘Germany as his preferred destination’, putting Leeds on the backfoot in the chase.

Nadir rates the Bundesliga and believes playing in the league would suit him, something which has given German clubs the edge.

The 22-year-old has never played his football outside of France, having come through the youth set-up at Nice before joining Marseille.

Midfield does look to be a particular area of focus for Leeds already this summer.

Dunkerque midfielder Antoine Sekongo is another player in France that Leeds are in the mix for.

Djaoui Cisse, on the books at Ligue 1 side Rennes, is on Leeds’ radar amid suggestions that a real battle for his signature is now brewing.

Leeds could lose Ao Tanaka this summer, while Sean Longstaff failed to make a big impact during the campaign after arriving last year.

The Whites are aware that the risk of being sucked into a relegation battle remains in their second season back as a Premier League club.