Leeds United: Marcelo Bielsa eyeing move for Jacob Murphy | OneFootball

Leeds United could be making a major transfer howler this summer by signing Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from Football Insider, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are set to join Scottish champions Rangers in the race to sign the 26-year-old this summer.

Fresh reports have now emerged from elsewhere claiming that Turkish giants Galatasaray have entered the running for Murphy, with the likes of Leeds and Southampton also keeping tabs on the Englishman’s future at St James’ Park.

The winger only has a year left on his current contract on Tyneside and the Magpies are said to be keen on tying him down to a new deal.

Baffling transfer target for Leeds

While Murphy has lately been deployed by Bruce as a right wing-back, his record when used as a winger is rather underwhelming, and one which won’t have Leeds fans excited at all.

In the 20 games last season where he has played further forward out wide, the £25,000-a-week earner managed just two goals and three assists in all competitions. In contrast, Raphinha notched four goals and six assists in 23 games from the right wing for Leeds last term.

Murphy’s woeful goalscoring record actually places him behind the likes of Helder Costa and Gjanni Alioski, who each scored three times for Bielsa’s side.

Amid all the links to players such as Rodrigo de Paul and Nahitan Nandez, and even Noa Lang, Murphy appears to be a rather baffling transfer target for Victor Orta to be monitoring.

This isn’t a player who has proven himself in Serie A like De Paul or Nandez, or a hugely exciting talent like Lang. At 26, Murphy is arguably coming to the peak years of his career and has done very little with the Magpies to suggest that he’s someone who would come in at Elland Road and actually enhance the first team squad.

Bielsa needs to be targeting more proven options in the top flight, and Murphy’s below-par record raises some major questions marks over Leeds’ reported interest in signing him this summer.

Meanwhile, Bielsa could sign his dream player in this starlet…