Leeds United are keen on a move to bring Maccabi Tel Aviv star Djordje Jovanovic to the Championship, according to reports.
Who is Djordje Jovanovic?
Jovanovic is naturally a striker who plies his trade at the Bloomfield Stadium having moved there from FK Cukaricki back in February 2022, where he’s since gone on to make a total of 62 appearances to date, but his future is currently up in the air.
The Serbia international’s contract with Aitor Karanka’s side expires at the end of next season, meaning that the ongoing window will be his manager’s final big opportunity to cash in, not to mention that due to his situation, a cut-price deal could be available.
Are Leeds signing Jovanovic?
According to SportsWalla (via Football League World), Jovanovic is on the "radar" of Leeds, who have been "linked" with a move ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Maccabi's centre-forward has reportedly been a target "for a while", but it was his performances on the international stage at the recent European Championship qualifiers that have caught the eye once again.
The 24-year-old and his club are both "open to a transfer" and have "already held talks" with several unnamed suitors, once of which could well be at Elland Road.
Leeds will know that they are likely to lose Rodrigo this summer amid reports that his agent is set to hold an imminent meeting regarding a departure, so the 49ers will need to recruit a new centre-forward for their incoming manager to replace him, and Jovanovic could be the perfect successor.
He clocked up an impressive 17 goal contributions (13 goals and four assists) in 25 Ligat ha'Al outings last season, highlighting his prolific form in the final third, which is something that was blatantly missing during the previous campaign in Yorkshire.
The Leposaviq native is also a versatile operator with his ability to play out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside his usual role through the middle, so he could be deployed in a variety of positions should the boss ever want to switch up his formation or rotate the squad.
What Jovanovic's price tag or salary demands look like yet remain to be seen so it's difficult to figure whether this deal would be financially affordable, but should it turn out that it is indeed doable, the hierarchy shouldn't even have to think twice about recruiting him given his age profile and impressive goal return.