Leeds United in pole position over Burnley and Sunderland to sign Premier League attacker | OneFootball

Leeds United are leading the way to sign Cameron Archer over Burnley and Sunderland from Southampton.

Leeds United are pushing to sign Southampton striker Cameron Archer ahead of the transfer deadline, with the Whites leading the race over Burnley and Sunderland.

Ben Jacobs first outlined the interest from the Whites, while Mike McGrath of The Telegraph (03/03, 09.32AM) states that Leeds are in pole position to land the player ahead of their Championship automatic promotion rivals.

The Saints signed Archer from former club Aston Villa in a move worth £15 million just last summer, but he has fallen out of favour in Hampshire, making just 10 Premier League starts. Leeds remain interested in striking a deal for the goalscorer, in spite of their seven-goal haul against Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.

Alex Crook of talkSPORT stated that a proposal had been rejected by the Premier League's bottom side. Now, Crook reports that he remains high on their wish-list going into deadline day.

Leeds lead the race for Cameron Archer over Burnley and Sunderland

The Southampton striker has struggled for the Premier League's bottom side but he has notched 18 goals in 40 Championship appearances previously. It's an incredibly impressive ratio for a young player and that added firepower could make all the difference in helping Leeds get over the line or not.

The 23-year-old has fallen out of favour recently under Ivan Juric, having started just once in the last eight games, including five substitute appearances, and a further two instances of failing to come off the bench [Transfermarkt]. That's despite being the club's top scorer in all competitions this term.

The Yorkshire Evening Post reported over the weekend that Leeds will persist in their chase of the 23-year-old, with hope a domino-effect may soften the Premier League club’s stance. That claim has since been endorsed by David Anderson of The Mirror.

Two reports have dropped since those claims on Sunday, with McGrath writing in The Telegraph that Leeds' interest remains serious Archer and it will be down to whether Southampton allow the former Aston Villa centre-forward to leave St. Mary’s.

He also states: "Promotion-chasing Burnley and Sunderland have also looked at Archer but Leeds are in the box seat if he is allowed to move". However, Crook believes it is more likely that he remains with the Saints.

Sunderland have previously reportedly been open to striking a loan-to-buy deal for the 23-year-old, who set Southampton back £15 million just last summer - meaning any potential obligatory agreement would likely be in excess of eight figures.

Cameron Archer could make a huge difference for Daniel Farke and Leeds

His second tier CV suggests that he could be a real asset for the Whites, as he scored 11 goals and notched a further six assists in 23 appearances during a 2022/23 loan spell with Middlesbrough, and he also struck seven goals in 20 Preston North End outings the season before that.

Ahead of Wednesday evening's clash with Coventry City, the Whites currently sit top of the Championship table, and are the top scorers in the second tier, having managed 60 goals in 30 fixtures. However, the potential addition of Archer would add a new dynamic to Farke's attack and more goals.

Getting him in ahead of Sunderland or Burnley would be a real statement of intent, especially after they made statements of their own in Enzo Le Fee and Marcus Edwards.