Dominic Calvert-Lewin is undergoing a medical at Leeds with a view to sealing a free transfer to the promoted Premier League club.
The 28-year-old centre-forward has been a free agent since leaving Everton in June after nine years. He scored 71 times in 273 appearances for the club and described his departure as “incredibly difficult”.
Moving to Elland Road, where he is poised to become the eighth recruit of a busy summer, would bring the former Sheffield United player back to his native Yorkshire. Calvert-Lewin would compete with the former Wolfsburg forward Lukas Nmecha and last season’s Championship top scorer Joël Piroe for a place in Daniel Farke’s XI.
Calvert-Lewin’s arrival would be expected to accelerate Patrick Bamford’s departure from Leeds. Farke has told Bamford he has no future at the club. His fellow forward Mateo Joseph has joined Mallorca on loan.
Calvert-Lewin, like Bamford, has struggled with injuries in recent seasons. He has 11 England caps, scoring four goals, but last played for his country in 2021.
Newcastle are among a clutch of clubs who had considered Calvert-Lewin, scorer of three goals last season, but they decided he was too injury prone.
The Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz had ranked high on Farke’s attacking shortlist but, providing Calvert-Lewin’s medical proceeds as planned, Leeds seem unlikely to continue that pursuit.
Fulham are anxious to retain Muniz but he has recently been the subject of a near-£35m bid from Atalanta and is another option considered by Newcastle as Eddie Howe reshapes his frontline.
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Bournemouth Have signed Bafodé Diakité from Lille to replace Illia Zabarnyi, who joined PSG on Tuesday. Bournemouth have paid an initial £30m for Diakité and will bank almost £40m profit on Zabarnyi, who was sold in a £57m deal.
Bournemouth, who are interested in the Bayer Leverkusen winger Amine Adli, still want another centre-back after the sales of Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen. They have tracked Parma’s Giovanni Leoni, who is wanted by Liverpool.
