Leeds United are going to have to pay up if they are to land one of their reported transfer targets this summer after his release clause increased...

What's the word?

According to Ole (via Sport Witness), Velez Sarsfield playmaker Thiago Almada has seen his value rise to €25m (£22.5m), which means the Yorkshire giants will need to fork out an additional €2m (£1.75m).

It's claimed that Leeds are one of three Premier League teams following the 19-year-old, the others being both Manchester United and Manchester City, although neither side is yet to make a bid.

The young Argentine sensation has even admitted that he'd like to be managed by Marcelo Bielsa one day.

Hernandez's heir

Splashing over £20m on a player that's not been tested outside of Argentina or even on the international stage could pose a big risk but Almada is different - he's something quite special.

Across 38 league appearances for Velez, the teenage sensation has provided seven goals and two assists, playing in pretty much every attacking position possible.

However, his most natural position is in that number ten role and is described as an "extremely skilful player with plenty of attitude" by the Guardian in 2018.

Juan Carlos Pasman also compared Almada to Carlos Tevez due to their similar upbringing whilst Sky Sports claim that he's been dubbed the 'next Lionel Messi' by people in his homeland, which is quite the praise indeed.

The 19-year-old ranks inside the top four for key passes per 90 minutes in the Primera Division this season, so clearly the attacking midfielder is someone that creates a lot of chances.

Perhaps Almada could be the perfect candidate to one day take the reins from veteran Pablo Hernandez, who is getting no younger at 35 and whilst he's ageing like a fine wine, he'll still need to be replaced in the near future.

Without Samuel Saiz, there hasn't been a similar kind of player in Bielsa's ranks for the past year with Tyler Roberts often playing in the hole instead.

It's time for Leeds to take a dive and sanction a £22.5m move for a potential generational talent.

AND in other news, Bielsa suffers a big blow as mooted target prefers to join Euro giants...