Leeds United “in the front row“ in chase for Jens Petter Hauge

After links with Gyrano Kerk and Teun Koopmeiners came out of nowhere in recent days, Leeds United have now reportedly entered the race for Norweigan talent Jens Petter Hauge, according to Calcio Mercato.

The 20-year old impressed in the Europa League qualifiers against AC Milan recently, scoring against them as Bodo/Glimt fell to a 3-2 defeat to the Italian giants. Following his performance, Milan have been linked to him heavily to the point of Hauge commenting on the reported interest:

“It is not something I focus on or have been particularly updated on,” Hauge said.

“It is of course a club I would like to play for. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world, something I got a taste of yesterday considering both the city and the stadium.”

Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca Di Marzio have both confirmed Milan’s interest, as Milan look to get a deal done in the next 48 hours, but they now face competition from Leeds United.

The Whites have been locked in negotiations for Rodrigo De Paul for the best part of a month, and have been looking into other options lately as Hauge has appeared on Victor Orta’s radar.

Hauge is primarily a winger but he can also play centrally, as the Norweigan boasts an incredible record at such a young age. Hauge scored 14 goals and assisted nine from just 17 matches, culminating into a direct goal involvement every 64 minutes, which is almost unheard of for anyone, never mind such a young player.

Meanwhile, Hauge has scored three and assisted two in three matches in the Europa League qualifiers as he caught the eye of AC Milan at The San Siro. Calciomercato now report that Leeds are among the front of the queue alongside Milan, Atalanta and Udinese.

From what we can see, this race may be over before it’s begun, as AC Milan are seemingly closing in on the young talent, but Leeds could give the youngster something to think about. This is certainly something to keep an eye on.