13-goal Georgian midfielder poised for summer transfer - Burnley, Sunderland or Leeds set to be his destination | OneFootball

Burnley, Sunderland and Leeds United have all been linked with the Sturm Graz midfielder Otar Kiteishvili, according to reports in the Austrian media.

Reports in the Austrian media have suggested that the Sturm Graz attacking midfielder Otar Kiteishvili is set to sign for a newly-promoted English Championship club, narrowing it down to Leeds United, Burnley or Sunderland.

The Georgia international has had a standout season for the Austrian Bundesliga champions, but now he looks set to be on the move to pastures new.

Sunderland completed the list of the three to go up with their dramatic 2-1 win against Sheffield United in the play-off final on Saturday afternoon, alongside Leeds United and Burnley, who sealed the top two places with 100 points each - they are now the three possible destinations for Kiteishvili.

Otar Kiteishvili on the verge of English transfer with three clubs as possibilities

Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland are expected to have busy summers in the transfer market as they attempt to rebuild for life at a higher level, and reports in the Austrian media this morning that a highly-experienced international could be set to appear on their radars.

The Austrian media outlet Krone reported the "shocking news" this morning that the Sturm Graz attacking midfielder Kiteishvili is on the verge of leaving the club, with England his next destination.

Sturm Graz have just won their second consecutive Austrian Bundesliga title, finishing two points ahead of RB Salzburg, while they also competed in the Champions League, though they only finished 30th out of 36 in the group stage, with two wins from their eight group matches.

Krone have reported that Graz's Player of the Season Kiteishvili - who scored 13 times in all competitions in 2024-25 - has been approached by multiple clubs outside of Austria, and that he is in talks to sign for one of the newly-promoted teams into the Premier League for 2025-26, which means there are only three eventualities - he's heading to Turf Moor, the Stadium of Light or Elland Road.

Otar Kiteishvili looks ready for a step up to a top league - Leeds, Burnley or Sunderland can provide that

If the news is "shocking" to Sturm Graz, no small part of this is because Kiteishvili has been with the club for seven years after signing from Dinamo Tbilisi in 2018 and becoming a central part of their team.

Since then, he's made 175 League appearances for them in the League, scoring 44 goals, with this season seeing a return of 12 in 32 games, his best since he joined the club and a tally which made him their top league goalscorer for the season.

He's also been an international player since before he even went to Austria, having made his debut for the Georgia international team at the age of 21 in November 2017 in a friendly against Uzbekistan. He's now made 44 appearances for his country, scoring 7 goals.

With Champions League and international experience and Daniel Farke, Scott Parker and Regis Le Bris all needing reinforcements ahead of their step-up to the Premier League, players of Kiteishvili's calibre and experience will hold an obvious appeal. He looks like exactly the sort of player that Leeds, Burnley or Sunderland would want, ahead of the new season.