Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Red Bull Salzburg star Petar Ratkov this summer, as per the transfer journalist Ben Jacobs.
The 20-year-old joined the Austrian giants in a £4m deal last summer and enjoyed a satisfactory debut campaign at the Red Bull Arena, scoring five goals and registering a solitary assist in 12 league starts last term.
The youngster has been selected in the Serbian squad for the European Championship and was an unused substitute against England last Sunday. He made his debut for Serbia back in October last year and that’s his only appearance for his country to date.
Writing on GiveMeSport, Jacobs has reported that Leeds are keeping a close eye on the youngster’s development before making a potential swoop in this transfer window.
The journalist further claims that following Red Bull’s acquisition of a minority stake at Leeds, the Whites could manage to get this deal done as the company could be open to doing a deal within the group.
Leeds interested in Ratkov
However, Jacobs says that Rangers are also keen on signing him so Leeds could face competition from the Scottish giants in getting any potential deal done for him.
The Peacocks need to reinforce their centre-forward position by signing a new striker this summer as while Patrick Bamford has been struggling to showcase his best in recent times, Joel Piroe isn’t a prolific goal-scorer.
However, it has been reported that Leeds can’t afford to spend big to sign a new striker after failing to gain promotion. So, Ratkov could be a budget signing for Daniel Farke’s side.
Having joined Salzburg last summer, the youngster still has four years left in his current contract but Leeds should get a discount to sign him due to the Red Bull connection.
Ratkov is a 6ft 4in tall striker and could be an excellent acquisition for Farke’s side if they purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the Yorkshire club eventually decide to acquire his service in this transfer window.
