An update has emerged on interest in one of Leeds United's last-remaining members of their previous Championship promotion-winning campaign…
What's the latest Leeds transfer news?
According to talkSPORT, Saudi Arabian side Al Qadsiah are keen on a deal to sign Whites captain Liam Cooper during the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Scotland international has a 'lucrative' offer to ditch the Yorkshire-based team as Robbie Fowler attempts to snap him up for his club.
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However, it does not state how much they are willing to offer Leeds for his services or how open Daniel Farke is to cashing in on the experienced central defender.
Leeds kick off their 2023/24 season against Cardiff at Elland Road on Sunday and the former Chesterfield titan started the final pre-season friendly against Hearts.
Should Leeds sell Liam Cooper?
Farke must avoid his first major blunder in charge of the club, during his debut window at the helm, by ensuring that Cooper is not sold before the deadline.
The Leeds boss must fight to retain the 31-year-old titan as he is a proven Championship performer who also showcased his ability at Premier League level prior to last season.
The veteran campaigner averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.73 during the 2022/23 term, which was the ninth-best score within the squad.
However, Cooper was in the top three outfield performers for Leeds throughout the 2020/21 and 2021/22 top-flight campaigns. This illustrates how important he was to the club's survival at that level for two years before last season's implosion that led to a relegation back to the second tier.
The Scottish tank also knows exactly what it takes to get out of this division as he was one of the team's best players during the 2019/20 promotion-winning success under Marcelo Bielsa.
Cooper averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.07 across 38 Championship matches, which made him the fifth-best outfielder at the club, as he dominated opposition attackers with a duel success rate of 62% and helped the side to keep 15 clean sheets in total.
These statistics suggest that the impressive central defender has the quality to be an outstanding player for Farke at the heart of the backline, particularly at this level, and that is one reason why losing him would be a huge mistake by the German head coach.
Another reason would be the experience that the Whites would lose by allowing the captain to depart. Cooper is one of the few remaining regular starters from their last promotion, alongside Patrick Bamford, Jack Harrison, and Luke Ayling, and his know-how could be vital in terms of helping the younger players adapt to the pressure whilst maintaining a high standard from those around him.
Therefore, selling the £35k-per-week colossus, who goalkeeper Tommy Lee once claimed has a "Ramos-style" about him at centre-back, would be a blunder by Farke and the club for multiple key reasons.
The former Norwich City tactician must now convince, firstly, the decision-makers at board level to reject offers for Cooper and, secondly, the player himself to turn down advances from Fowler's Saudi outfit in order to lead the charge for promotion back to the Premier League this season.