Leeds United have been installed as third favourites to sign Norwich City centre-forward Nelson Oliveira, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.
Bet Victor priced the Championship giants at 8/1 on Monday morning to sign Oliveira, 26, before the start of February as they look to capture a striker before the transfer cut-off.
Swansea City and Fulham (both 4/1) have been made the favourites to sign the 17-times Portugal international, with Leeds among a tranche of clubs priced at 8/1, including Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Cardiff, Sunderland and Birmingham.
The Norwich striker has made 21 appearances in the Championship this season, scoring seven goals and supplying one assist in the process.
Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen has suggested that he wants to sign a new centre-forward before the transfer window shuts after his side drew blanks in their three league matches before Saturday’s 4-3 defeat to Millwall.
Good move for Leeds?
Oliveira has demonstrated since he joined Norwich from Benfica in the summer of 2016 that he is a fine striker at Championship level, scoring 19 goals from 54 matches and consistently proving a handful for defences. The Benfica academy product had a series of spells on loan before his move to Carrow Road, including in the Premier League with Swansea, and has consistently delivered the goods, particularly when he began this season in sensational style with four goals from the opening six league matches. His durability and appetite for the battle would put Pierre-Michel Lasogga, whose winter break extended to around two months, to shame. Oliveira will not score a goal a game, but can certainly do a solid job and can be relied upon to play every week.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10
Likely to happen?
It’s certainly possible, as Norwich have struggled to thrive in the second tier in the last two seasons since their Premier League relegation. But the word is that Oliveira is on a high wage at Carrow Road, and Leeds would have to spend big to get him in the next 10 days.
This Is Futbol rating 4/10