Leeds United suffered a potential blow in their battle against the drop this season as they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Friday night.

The Whites are now two points off the bottom of the table, despite sitting in 14th place as it stands, and are facing the real possibility of dropping down to the Championship unless they can turn their form around in the coming weeks.

Jesse Marsch's team have gone seven matches without a win in all competitions and Victor Orta may look to utilise the January transfer window to bolster the team's chances of avoiding relegation.

The Leeds chief has already brought in Georginio Rutter and Maximilian Wober to improve the squad but the club have also been linked with adding another option to their ranks in the number nine position.

It was recently reported that the Whites, alongside Rangers, Celtic, Southampton, and Everton, are interested in a deal to sign Gue-sung Cho from Jeonbuk Hyundai this month.

Marsch and Orta could now land the dream heir to Rodrigo's place in the squad by bringing the South Korean international to Elland Road in the next couple of weeks.

Leeds' current first-choice striker has been in fine form in the Premier League this season and is showing no signs of slowing down. The Spaniard has plundered 10 goals and one assist in 16 top-flight appearances for the club - averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.06.

However, he will be 33 by the end of his contract in the summer of 2024 and the Whites may already be thinking about what life may look like after the ex-Valencia man departs.

Signing Cho to initially come in as the forward's understudy before taking over during, or after, the next 18 months could be an astute move by Leeds as it would be a proactive signing, rather than waiting for Rodrigo to depart and then attempting to replace him.

The South Korean international, who was dubbed an "internet sensation" by The Athletic's Daniel Taylor earlier this season, has shown plenty of promise in his home country as he smashed in 17 goals and provided five assists in 26 K League outings throughout 2022 - averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.33.

Cho is also seven years younger than Rodrigo and this means that the signing would offer long-term value to Leeds if the gem can adapt to the Premier League and prove himself to be a reliable goalscorer in England.

Therefore, the 24-year-old, who scored two goals in three World Cup starts in Qatar, could be the dream heir to the Spaniard for Marsch due to his age and the goalscoring potential he has shown at both club and international level.