"The issue I have" - Leeds United told to only sign 24-goal ace on one condition | OneFootball

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit has given his view on the potential signing of Anderlecht striker Kasper Dolberg.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Leeds United are preparing for life back in the Premier League after their promotion from the Championship.

It looked as though Leeds were in danger of missing out on automatic promotion after a decline in form during March and April, but a strong end to the season saw them claim the Championship title and reach the 100-point mark.

Shortly after promotion was sealed, reports emerged that manager Daniel Farke was set to be sacked, which threatened to cast a shadow over the Whites' celebrations, but chairman Paraag Marathe confirmed that the German will remain in charge at Elland Road next season.

Marathe also revealed that Leeds are preparing to spend this summer as they look to consolidate back in the Premier League, and according to Voetbal Krant, Anderlecht striker Kasper Dolberg is one player on the club's radar, with the 27-year-old said to be available for a fee of £12.6 million.

Dolberg joined the Belgian outfit from Nice in the summer of 2023, and, after netting 15 goals in 42 games in his first season at the club, he has enjoyed another strong campaign this term, scoring 24 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions.

Leeds United concern raised over potential Kasper Dolberg deal

When asked if he believes Dolberg is the kind of player the club should be targeting this summer, FLW's Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith admitted that he does not believe the Denmark international would be good enough to be their main striker in the Premier League, and he warned that they should only pursue a move if he is going to be a back-up.

"I think it goes without saying that Leeds are going to need a striker or two this summer to actually fight for survival, unlike the last six teams that have been promoted," Kris told FLW.

"With that in mind, I wouldn't mind a number nine like Dolberg being brought into the squad.

"He can hold his own up front, he's relatively tall, and he can strike a football really well.

"But the issue I have is that, for all the potential that Dolberg's career has had and how highly-rated he was and the form he showed at Ajax, he has only just started to hit really consistent form again at 27.

"That's for one of the best teams and one of the biggest clubs in Belgium, in a league that is not exactly strong from top to bottom.

"For me, I'm questioning whether that translates to a side that will likely be in the bottom five of the Premier League next season, where he's not going to dominate the ball and he's going to have to feed off a lot of scraps.

"I just can't see that.

"For his goal record overall, if the price is right, I wouldn't mind him as a squad option alongside Piroe as a back-up.

"But I think it would be underwhelming if Leeds were looking to make someone like Dolberg their main striker option, given that his last prolific season in a top five major league was back in 2019-20 for Nice."

Dolberg was regarded as an incredibly highly-rated talent after breaking through at Ajax, but he has not quite been able to fulfil his potential in the subsequent years.

The striker does have an impressive goalscoring record at Anderlecht, while he has also netted 11 goals in 54 games for Denmark at international level, but there are still big question marks over whether he could deliver in the Premier League.

As they identify transfer targets for the summer, Leeds must be careful not to fall into the same trap that the likes of Burnley, Southampton and Ipswich have in recent years of paying significant transfer fees for players who are not quite at the required level, and they should assess whether there are better options out there than Dolberg.