Leeds United have been linked with Standard Liege midfielder Nicolas Raskin recently and the 21-year-old's potential arrival at Elland Road could allow Jesse Marsch to finally ditch Adam Forshaw.

According to recent reports, Standard Liege are likely to cash in on the young Belgian in January after he refused a new contract with the club, as his current deal is set to expire at the end of the season.

Raskin is attracting interest from the likes of Leeds, Rangers, Barcelona and Marseille this month and all would be free to open negotiations with the young midfielder, with the view of signing him on a Bosman transfer in the summer when his contract runs out.

The youngster's impressive performances as a defensive midfielder in the Pro League so far this campaign suggest that he could be a big upgrade on Forshaw should he arrive at Elland Road, when considering the 31-year-old's performances, age and injury issues across recent seasons.

The Belgian midfielder was catching the eye as early as 2019, with journalist Bob Faesen full of praise for Raskin ahead of Standard Liege's Europa League tie against Rangers.

He said:

“He is still only 19, but he has really shone. He is a box-to-box midfielder. He can play in every position in the middle of the park. He is technically gifted, but he is also a bit of a pitbull. He can run a lot, is powerful and has a good shot. He has been one of the big surprises in Belgium football this season and will be a key player for Liege who Rangers will need to be wary of.”

This season has seen Raskin make 16 appearances in Belgian top-flight, in which he has contributed four assists and earned an impressive 6.91 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Forshaw, meanwhile, has no goal contributions in five Premier League appearances this season and has averaged an extremely disappointing 6.15 rating from WhoScored.

Raskin also averaged far more tackles (3.3 vs 0.4), interceptions (0.4 vs none) and key passes (1.1 vs 0.4) per game than Forshaw, which suggests that he would be a significant upgrade in Marsch's side this month.

The former Brentford man has been at Elland Road for five years now but has mustered just 84 appearances in that time, with injuries sadly plaguing his time with the Yorkshire outfit.

While he can be a useful squad player on his day, the experienced Englishman's contract is set to expire at the end of this season and it is surely time that his association with the club was brought to an end.

Therefore, Victor Orta should definitely look at bringing Raskin to the club, either this month or in the summer, as he could prove to be a great replacement for the Whites.