Leeds United are heavily into former Bolton loanee striker Rodrigo at Valencia. That seems to be developing at pace. However with Atletico Madrid also said to be hovering, Leeds need back-up plans and The Athletic’s Phil Hay says that these are in place (tweet – below).
Leeds' interest in Rodrigo at Valencia is clearly mounting. Victor Orta speaking to his representatives and Valencia intend to sell him in this window. Depends on other interest too (talk that Atletico fancy him). Watkins at Brentford still an alternative option. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) August 25, 2020
Rodrigo may be target #1 for the Whites and it will be a hefty target at that with reports of €40m/£36.1m being wafted about. However, should any push for the former Bolton loanee falter due to reported interest from Atletico Madrid, Phil Hay says that Brentford striker Ollie Watkins remains a viable target for the Whites.
Watkins had another superb season with Brentford last time out. He was one of the main reasons behind the Bees rush to the Playoff Final where they were defeated in Extra-Time against Fulham. This came after he featured in an impressive post-lockdown surge that really looked at one point to be nailed on for automatic promotion.
Watkins has impressed for Brentford since signing for them in mid-July 2017 for a fee of £1.8m. In his time at Griffin Park, Watkins has featured in 143 games across all competitions and has scored 49 goals, adding 17 assists to his account. After a season like the last one, you can see why that interest is there. In an ever-present 49-game season, Watkins scored 26 goals and added 3 assists as Brentford fell agonisingly short of promotion.
Should things go awry with Spaniard Rodrigo, then Brentford’s Ollie Watkins will be a more-than-suitable stand-in for the Whites to consider.
