According to Sky Sports, Leeds United’s interest in Middlesbrough’s Rudy Gestede appears to be over.  

Leeds are desperately looking to add another striker to their squad between now and the end of the summer transfer window, following Chris Wood’s £15m move to Burnley last week.

Thomas Christiansen moved to sign Jay Roy Grot following Wood’s departure last week, but Leeds are keen to add another striker before Thursday to accommodate for Wood’s sudden exit.

The Whites made a quick approach for Gestede, but Boro quickly rejected that.

After initially considering a second approach for the striker, Leeds’ interest now seems to be over, with Boro not looking likely to budge at this late stage of the transfer window.

Reports have suggested that Leeds will now turn to the foreign market, which has proved to be a lot cheaper so far this summer.

Pierre-Michel Lasogga remains on Leeds’ radar, but they face competition from Aston Villa and Wolves in the race to sign the German from Hamburg.

Wages have proved to be an obstacle in Leeds’ quest to sign the 25-year-old, and other reports are suggesting that it is likely that money will be the key factor in the outcome of where Lasogga ends up next month.

The Verdict  

Whilst Gestede has proved to be an excellent Championship striker previously, he has failed to impress over recent years during spells with Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.

Leeds will be confident in their scouting team that their foreign search for a striker will not be a risk, particularly after the impact Samuel Saiz and Ezgjan Alioski have had since their arrival at Elland Road.

Gestede would have been a reliable option, and many at Leeds want to see a domestic arrival. However, the club’s latest decision to search abroad has given the Whites another option to find yet another star this summer.

Leeds fans… Let us know your thoughts!