The genius Leeds United striker signing who could turbocharge side's attacking threat in Premier League

If the last two Premier League seasons have taught Daniel Farke anything, it’s that he has one of the hardest jobs in world football on his hands next campaign to keep Leeds United in the top flight.

Never mind Leeds winning the Championship with the seventh-highest points total in the history of the league - Burnley’s last promotion showed that kind of achievements counts for nothing when the bullets start flying in arguably the toughest league on the planet.

Farke has a budget of £150 million to get his squad up to standard so Leeds fans can expect a summer overhaul of the squad and an interesting twist has emerged regarding one of Farke’s top target areas - a striker to compete with 19-goal hero Joel Piroe.

Bargain release clause for Ukrainian goal machine piques Leeds United interest

Vladyslav Vanat has emerged as a key name to watch in the Premier League transfer market after TEAMtalk reported his release clause from Dynamo Kyiv is an attractive €20m (£16m). Vanat has fired 17 goals in 27 appearances in the Premier Liga - his third successive season hitting double figures in the league - and also struck against Galatasaray in the group stage of the Europa League.

The six-foot striker isn’t a dynamo dribbler and doesn’t get too involved in build-up play but comes alive in the final third, comparing favourably to Europe’s elite for passes into the penalty area, fouls drawn, miscontrols and dispossessions with the ball at his feet.

That impressive hold-up play combines well with a willingness to press out of possession and get involved in his side’s defensive effort, something useful with Leeds likely to spend the majority of next season without control of the ball. Vanat leads the Premier Liga golden boot race and has also chipped in with eight assists this season in all competitions, with Dynamo Kyiv claiming their 17th domestic title and finishing as runners-up in the Ukrainian Cup.

However, Leeds aren’t the only team to have notice Vanat’s prolific season. Everton are hunting for a striker as part of a possible summer spending spree with Dominic Calvert-Lewin looking likely to leave Merseyside, and David Moyes is the master of getting the best out of bargain strikers.

The Toffees have been linked with Jonathan David and Evan Ferguson but won’t raise much from player sales this window and the opportunity to join an established Premier League team at 23 years of age would be hard to pass up for Vanat. It’s known there’s interest from multiple English clubs, though it’s not clear whether that extends beyond Leeds and Everton, so Farke must act quickly if he’s to snap up a player that could turn into one of the bargains of the season.

How would Vanat’s signing impact Leeds’ £150m transfer budget?

Leeds have also been linked with Callum Wilson, who’s available on a free transfer after failing to fire at Newcastle amid chronic injury issues.

The nine-cap England international has notched less than 500 minutes in 21 games in all competitions this season hampered by back and hamstring injuries, while his 2023/24 season wasn’t much to write home about either despite a bright first three years on Tyneside that netted 38 goals.

Now aged 33, Wilson has voiced his frustration at his lack of game-time from Eddie Howe even when fit as the fine form of Alexander Isak has restricted Wilson to only two Premier League starts this campaign. His failure to meet an appearance threshold required to trigger a one-year contract extension means Wilson will be searching for pastures new unless the Magpies offer him a new deal and the absence of a transfer fee would make him an attractive option for Leeds.

Wilson has even gone out of his way to broadcast he’s “financially stable” now and said wages aren’t an issue, but the ongoing concern over injuries means he’s still a gamble. So the news of Vanat’s dirt-cheap release clause could well scupper Wilson’s ambitions to find regular Premier League minutes at Leeds as the Ukrainian would still leave almost 90% of Leeds’ summer kitty untouched.

Re-signing Junior Firpo is another priority for Farke, with the Dominican full back attracting attention from Lazio and former club Real Betis. Providing four goals and 10 assists in Leeds’ title-winning campaign, Firpo was set to leave but would reportedly stay if he’s made the highest-paid player at the club.

Likewise, Abdoulaye Doucoure is a target but only if contract terms can be agreed. The ex-Everton man is attracting attention from Saudi Arabia after detailing wage demands of £8m - however he’d be worth that at Elland Road if he can replicate his heroics to keep Everton up on the final day in 2023.

The last two seasons have shown you can never have too much Premier League quality as a promoted side so the more steals Leeds can nab the better - signing Firpo, Vanat and Doucoure for just £16m in transfer fees would open up the possibility for more expensive marquee signings like the £35m James McAtee from Manchester City.