Leeds United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Philipp Max to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.
What's the talk?
That's according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, despite TSG Hoffenheim having been linked with a move for the PSV Eindhoven left-back in recent weeks, the Bundesliga side now look to have captured RB Leipzig full-back Angelino on a season-long loan deal - with a €20m (£17m) option to make the move permanent at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Following this news, the Express reported that Hoffenheim's move for the 25-year-old Spaniard will come as a huge boost to Victor Orta and Leeds United, as the former Manchester City defender's move to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena would now appear to give the Whites a clear run at Max - for whom it was reported that the Premier League side had submitted an €8m (£7m) bid earlier this summer.
The next Kolarov
With both Junior Firpo and Stuart Dallas remaining sidelined due to injury, in addition to the fact that the former somewhat struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League last season - averaging a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.60 over his 24 league fixtures - it is not difficult to see why Orta is targeting the signing of a new player in the position this summer.
And, considering just how impressive Max has been on the left of a back four throughout his professional career - particularly going forwards - it is also no wonder why the Whites' director of football has earmarked the 28-year-old as a potential addition to Jesse Marsch's first-team squad.
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Indeed, despite his position, the £7.2m-rated talent has proven something of a constant threat on the left flank for whichever club he has played, scoring 15 goals and registering 29 assists over 156 appearances for FC Augsburg, bagging three goals and providing 17 assists over 54 fixtures for FC Schalke II and notching eight goals and 18 assists over 93 outings for PSV.
As such, it is easy to see why Bundesliga.com compared the £33k-per-week Germany international's style of play to that of the former Lazio, Manchester City, AS Roma and Inter Milan full-back Aleksandar Kolarov - the now retired defender who scored 52 goals and registered 69 assists over his 504 career appearances.
Indeed, the German website wrote: "Max is a solid defender, but much in the same way as Roma and Serbia counterpart, Aleksandar Kolarov, it's going forward where he really shines.
"An ever-willing runner and the proud owner of a laser-guided left boot, the striker-turned-left-back is every centre-forward's dream. He takes set-pieces and isn't frightened to have a pop from range, making him one of the most dynamic and effective left-sided defenders in the Bundesliga."
So, with Romano revealing that Hoffenheim are now out of the picture for the player Alex Chaffer dubbed "scrumptious" this summer, Orta now looks as if he has something of a clear run to bring Max to Elland Road prior to the closure of the summer transfer window this September.
And, should the Spaniard be successful in doing so, he could well have unearthed the Premier League's next Kolarov - a prospect that is sure to delight both Leeds supporters and Marsch alike.