Ian Carlo Poveda of England U16 holds off a challenge from Erik Tobias Sandberg of Norway U16 during the U16s International Friendly match between England U16 and Norway U16 at St Georges Park on February 16, 2016 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Getty Images)
According to the Daily Mail, Leeds United are among the clubs interested in signing Manchester City winger Ian Poveda.
Ian Poveda joined Manchester City after Brentford’s academy was closed down. He has had spells with Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona academies and is currently an England U-20 international.
The Colombian teenager made his City debut in the EFL Cup against Burton Albion last year. However, Poveda has not agreed to extend his contract which expires in the summer. And two months ago, he was demoted to the Under-23s.
Due to his availability on a free transfer in the summer, Italian clubs Torino and Parma, as well as reigning Scottish champions Celtic, are also interested in signing the 19-year-old, the report adds. However, Leeds must do everything possible to sign Poveda this January.
The Whites have witnessed Jack Clarke and Eddie Nketiah being recalled by their parent clubs Tottenham and Arsenal respectively. This has weakened their attacking options, making it vital for Marcelo Bielsa to sign a wide player and striker this month to bolster his team’s promotion hopes.
Bielsa shares a good relationship with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. He signed Jack Harrison on loan last season and despite missing out on promotion, the Whites boss brought the winger back on loan before the start of 2019/20 campaign.
Harrison has developed into an important player for Leeds, improving massively under the guidance of Bielsa.
Now, the Leeds manager must make the best use of his relationship with Guardiola to sign another talent in Ian Poveda, who can be deemed as a potential replacement for Clarke.
Poveda would be a smart long-term acquisition who would add competition for Harrison, Ezgjan Alioski and Pablo Hernandez.
The ageing Pablo Hernandez has endured an injury-hit campaign and the Whites must plan for a long-term replacement of the Spanish attacker. Poveda is a young gun and would be an exciting signing if he develops into a top player in the future.
The signing of Poveda gives Leeds an opportunity to develop a young player into a future star. Without any second thoughts, the whites should quickly thrash out a deal with City for the young playmaker.
The Premier League run-in, the backend of the title race for Manchester City sees them…
Everton is having a bad season so far, from their poor form in the league…
Communication is the heartbeat of any successful soccer team. On the field, amidst the flurry…
In the annals of football history, few names evoke as much reverence and admiration as…
Are you new to the world of football betting and would you like to take…
If you are into sports betting, staying ahead of the game is crucial. One way…