Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Saša Lukić to Elland Road in the January transfer window.
What's the talk?
That's according to a report by Italian publication Tuttosport (via TuttoMercatoWeb), who claim that, with the central midfielder struggling to agree a new deal with Torino - with his current contract at the Stadio Olimpico set to expire in the summer of 2024 - the 26-year-old is tempted by the prospect of a move away from the club this winter.
The report goes on to state that both AS Roma and Leeds have 'not hidden their interest' in signing the Serbia international - for whom Torino are said to be demanding a figure in the region of €15m (£13m) in order to part with in January - while it is also said that the player's future 'will be clearer after the World Cup in Qatar'.
Klich heir
Considering just how impressive Lukić has been for Torino in recent seasons, coupled with the fact that Mateusz Klich looks to be heading for a move away from Elland Road in January, it is not difficult to understand why Victor Orta would be keen on a deal to bring the Torino midfielder to LS11 this winter.
Indeed, over his 35 Serie A appearances in 2021/22, the £17.5m-rated talent was in sensational form going forwards, scoring five goals, registering four assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.9 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles - at a success rate of 74% - per game.
The £22k-per-week midfielder also caught the eye in metrics more typical of his position, completing an average of 42.8 passes - at a success rate of 88% - playing 2.1 long balls and winning 4.8 duels per fixture, as well as making an average of 1.5 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 1.1 clearances per game.
These returns saw the player who Jerry Mancini praised for his "pressing" average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Torino's sixth-best performer in the top flight of Italian football last time out.
It has been a similar story over his 12 league outings in the current campaign, with the 26-year-old having already scored two goals and created two big chances, in addition to making an average of one key pass, 1.4 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and completing 38.8 passes - at a success rate of 89% - per game.
These metrics have seen the 32-cap international average a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.95, currently ranking him as Ivan Jurić's third-best performer in Serie A.
And, with Lukić set to play a starring role in Serbia's World Cup campaign this winter, kicking off with a challenging test against heavily fancied Brazil on Thursday evening, should the midfielder continue his impressive club form on the world stage, it would only add another string to his already impressive bow.
As such, considering his evident ability in the final third, his strength in the tackle and his incredibly accurate passing, it would indeed appear as if Lukić would make something of a dream heir to Klich in the heart of Jesse Marsch's side, leading us to believe that Orta must do everything in his power to land the Torino star ahead of Roma in January.