Leeds United closing in on agreement for Gyrano Kerk from Utrecht

Leeds United are set to sign winger Gyrano Kerk from Dutch side Utrecht, with the fee likely to be around €10 million.

The Telegraaf in Holland report that Leeds have beat competition from Cagliari and Hellas Verona to the signing of Kerk, with the two Italian sides unwilling to meet the demands of the Dutch side.

This comes after Victor Orta was spotted at Manchester airport on early Friday morning. When the fan who spotted him asked where he was going, he replied: “Amsterdam.“ We can’t 100% take his word for it, but considering these reports plus reported interest in Teun Koopmeiners from AZ Alkmaar, it seems he was telling the truth.

Kerk had an incredibly productive season in Eredivisie last season, scoring 10 goals and assisting eight in Eredivisie from just 24 appearances, while assisting four in four cup matches as well as a goal in Europa League qualifying. At a grand total, Kerk achieved 11 goals and 12 assists last season in all competitions, with a direct goal involvement coming every 115 minutes.

At 24 years of age, he’s only been getting better, with tallies of nine goals and 11 assists in 18/19 and eight goals and seven assists in 17/18. The versatile attacker can play across the front-three and in-behind the striker, with the deal possibly in place of Rodrigo De Paul as talks with Udinese remain at a stand-still.

Leeds have also shown interest in Dan James, and could make a move for him in the coming days, while The Whites are seemingly very close to an agreement for Kerk. Only time will tell, as Leeds look to bring in two more midfield options before the window shuts.