Leeds United are thought to be keen on signing Seko Fofana...

What's the word?

That's according to Media Foot, who claim that the Yorkshire giants are in the race to land the SC Lens midfielder as there is a 'strong possibility' he leaves the Ligue 1 outfit this year.

Fellow French sides Nice and AS Monaco also have an interest in the Ivory Coast international and will look to secure his signature before the summer transfer window.

There is no fee mentioned in the report, considering he's under contract until 2025, but Fabrizio Romano claimed a few months ago that Lens would be looking for around €40m (£35m).

Leeds' next midfield monster?

Over the years, the Whites have enjoyed many a midfield talent.

Fine examples include the late Gary Speed and David Batty from yesteryear, to more recently, players like Pablo Hernandez and Kalvin Phillips.

Fofana could well be the next in line to follow suit, given his ability to dominate in the engine room.

Once described as "a phenom" by journalist Zach Lowry, the 27-year-old powerhouse sits within the top 2% for shots, the top 3% for dribbles completed, the top 7% for non-penalty expected goals per 90 of all central midfielders across Europe's top-five divisions.

Elsewhere, he is averaging a passing success rate of 90% each game in Ligue 1 this campaign, so it's no wonder he's statistically comparable to players such as Luka Modric, Federico Valverde, Frenkie de Jong and Bernardo Silva, all of whom would be utterly unattainable for Leeds.

However, director of football Victor Orta could bring a similar sort of player to Elland Road in Fofana, who journalist Said Amdaa has previously lauded as "unplayable in midfield" with how he operates like a monster.

With summer signings Tyler Adams and Marc Roca unlikely to provide much of a goal threat for Jesse Marsch going forward, the Ivorian dynamo could be a different option, particularly as he has bagged 11 league goals since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

As such, Fofana could well be the next engine room phenom to grace the pitch in west Yorkshire, so Orta must look to sign him sooner rather than later, given his aforementioned qualities.

AND in other news, Orta could land Leeds an instant Klich successor with late bid for "tireless" £18m gem...