The Whites have been touted with an interest in the Premier League centre-forward.
Leeds United have bolstered their playing squad with four new additions since their relegation from the top-flight at the end of last season.
Who have Leeds signed this summer?
The Whites made their first signing of the summer transfer window last month as they brought in versatile Ethan Ampadu on a permanent deal from Premier League side Chelsea.
They then brought in goalkeeper Karl Darlow from Newcastle United to compete with Illan Meslier for the number one spot and signed Sam Byram on a free transfer following his release from Norwich City.
Their most recent arrival came on Thursday night as the club confirmed that they have signed Wales international Joe Rodon from Tottenham Hotspur on loan.
However, they are yet to bolster their attacking options and that area of the pitch could be added to before the end of the window as Daniel Farke’s side are reportedly keen on signing Michail Antonio from West Ham United.
How good is Michail Antonio?
The Whites head coach could finally replace Rodrigo, who left the club on a permanent basis to join Al-Rayyan SC this summer, by securing a swoop for the Hammers striker.
He is a proven top-flight performer who could thrive in the Championship with the step down in quality and provide the goals that the club lost when they sanctioned the excellent Spaniard’s departure from Elland Road.
The former Valencia ace scored 26 Premier League goals across three seasons in Yorkshire, which works out as roughly 8.6 league goals per campaign, and produced 13 in 31 appearances last term in spite of the team’s eventual relegation.
Meanwhile, no other Leeds player managed more than five goals in the division and this suggests that Farke does not have a wealth of goalscoring options at his disposal, which is why Antonio would be a much-needed signing for the German head coach.
The Jamaica international, who current Brentford coach Thomas Frank once stated is “a handful” and is “a little bit like [Romelu] Lukaku”, scored 14 goals in all competitions for the Hammers last season and has scored ten Premier League goals in three of the last four campaigns respectively.
These statistics show that the veteran attacker is a proven goalscorer at the top level who could offer a similar level of production to Rodrigo, whilst the drop down to the Championship could also allow him to improve upon his record as he would be facing lesser quality defences.
Antonio’s performances in the Europa Conference League last season were particularly impressive. The 33-year-old marksman averaged a Sofascore match rating of 7.43 across nine appearances as he plundered six goals and one assist to help the club win the competition.
This suggests that the former Nottingham Forest man still has plenty to give on the pitch, in spite of his age, and could be an excellent signing for the Whites due to his knack for finding the back of the net.
Therefore, the £85k-per-week gem could replace Rodrigo as Leeds’ go-to man for goals at the top end of the pitch if Farke is able to convince him to make the switch to Elland Road and ditch top division and European football with West Ham this season.
