OPINION
An unnamed Championship club is reportedly set to make an offer to sign Leeds outcast Souleymane Doukara this summer, after he continues to be overlooked by Thomas Christiansen.
Radio Yorkshire broadcaster Mark Wilson claimed on his personal Twitter account that one of Leeds’ domestic rivals are weighing up a move to sign 25-year-old attacker Doukara.
Hearing that a championship club is considering a bid for Doukara….. #lufc
— Mark Wilson (@MarkWilsonRadio) August 16, 2017
This comes after Doukara was left out of Leeds’ 18-man squad for Christiansen’s first four games, which has seen the Yorkshire giants remain unbeaten so far with two wins and two draws.
The French-born striker has failed to prove to his new head coach that he is deserving of a place in the first team, after new signings Ezgjan Alioski, Samu Saiz and Caleb Ekuban have forced him further down the pecking order.
With less than 12 months remaining on his current Elland Road contract, Doukara could now be offloaded within a fortnight before the end of the transfer window.
Here, This Is Futbol examines whether a move for Doukara would be good for Leeds, and if a deal can be struck that would see the versatile attacker leave the club after three years in Yorkshire.
Good move for Leeds?
Doukara will be allowed to talk to foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement on January 1 if he is not handed a new deal, which would see the Senegalese ace leave on a free.
All clubs would be able to purchase the former Catania ace for nothing next summer, and that means selling him in the next fortnight is crucial if Leeds want to bring in a transfer fee for the attacker.
It is plain to see that Leeds’ number 11 is a long way away from the first team, with Alioski, Stuart Dallas and Hadi Sacko all above Doukara in the pecking order.
Securing a transfer fee for him now would prove a good move for Leeds, rather than losing him for nothing next summer, as the Whites look to recuperate some of the funds spent on the likes of Saiz.
This Is Futbol rating: 9/10.
Likely to happen?
Plummeting down the pecking order will see Doukara become available for a transfer, with his current contract situation likely to make him available to leave for a cut-price deal.
That will make a deal much more likely to happen for powerful forward, with a Championship club now reportedly interested in the striker.
Selling Doukara will give Christiansen more flexibility in the transfer window and it could see him sign a player that could be key in helping the Whites end their 13-year stay in the Football League.
But with only two weeks remaining in the window, work will have to be conducted quickly if the former Champions League side are to sell.
This Is Futbol rating: 7/10.