Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is keen to bolster his midfield options this summer following an injury blow to Pablo Hernandez last week.

The Telegraph claim that the Yorkshire giants are now poised to move for AZ Alkmaar captain Teun Koopmeiners, who has become a regular in the Eredivisie in recent seasons.

Bielsa lost his veteran playmaker during the warmup against Fulham, resulting in striker Rodrigo playing behind the striker.

United have considered moves for Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul, Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi and Levante maestro Jose Campana but have struggled to meet the asking prices of all three players.

It’s thought that the 22-year-old Dutchman would only cost a little over £10m and is also on the cusp of a call-up to the national side.

Koopmeiners played 25 times last year where he scored 11 goals from midfield whilst averaging 2.1 tackles, 1.4 shots, 1.2 dribbles and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Alan Pardew, who briefly managed league rivals Ado Den Haag, waxed lyrical about the box-to-box powerhouse – speaking to the Daily Mail, he said:

“The AZ captain Teun Koopmeiners, a left-footed centre back who can sit in midfield, is probably the best player in Holland in defensive areas.”

Whilst Smarter Scout claim he is “probably a better tackler than two-thirds of Premier League DMs, and he’s also outstanding in the air on dead balls. In terms of style, Koopmeiners offers a great mix of short and long passes, and can also take the ball forward himself,” and they also compare him to Granit Xhaka of Arsenal and Espanyol’s Marc Roca.

As alternative options go, Leeds should absolutely consider a move for the Alkmaar sensation.

AND in other news, Leeds plot record-breaking move for former Palace midfielder…