OPINION
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa seems pretty keen at overhauling the goalkeeping options at Elland Road this summer, with Chelsea colossus Jamal Blackman seeming like a serious possibility.
The Whites have already let Felix Weidwald depart after just a year at the club, and with Andy Lonergan and Bailey Peacock-Farrell the remaining senior options, another shot stopper could well be on their way.
Sky Sports claim that 6’5″ giant (source: Transfermarkt) Blackman is high up the list of potential targets, having made 33 appearances for fellow Championship side Sheffield United on a loan from Chelsea last season.
However, while journalist Alan Nixon claims that talks have been held between the two parties, discussions have taken a European twist with Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem also said to be keen on a temporary swoop for the 24-year-old, who is being allowed to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
If Leeds are desperate for Blackman’s capture, with their need for a new goalkeeper an absolute must after last season’s flops, then they must act quickly, for time is not on their side.
Chelsea have a partnership with Vitesse, many of their young talents heading over the north sea to the Netherlands in recent years in a bid to pick up first team action, and Blackman could well be the next to follow suit.
It could be the Blues would rather send him abroad than to Elland Road, but if talks are open with the player, then Leeds must try and convince him that staying in England is the right decision for his future.
Making an immediate offer is the only way they will be able to prove that he is wanted at the club, and biding their time could see him slip through their fingers.