Thomas Christiansen admits Leeds could look abroad to replace Chris Wood amid Dutch striker link

Leeds United manager Thomas Christiansen expects an announcement regarding the candidate to replace Chris Wood to be made imminently after the 27-goal striker's move to Burnley. The New Zealander has moved to Turf Moor in a deal which could rise to £18m, but it leaves the Whites without a forward to lead their pursuit of promotion to the Premier League.

The Yorkshire Evening Post understands a bid has been tabled for NEC Nijmegen striker Jay-Roy Grot after an offer of £6m for Middlesbrough forward Rudy Gestede was rejected by The Riverside club. Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has pledged to finance the signing of a new forward, with the Netherlands Under-19 international seen as the main target.

As highlighted in Leeds' stubborn stance over the sale of Wood, signing players in England comes at an inflated price. Christiansen has not commented on any pursuit of Grot but has indicated that the search to replace Wood is likely to see Leeds land a player from overseas.

"It's going well," Christiansen said, according to YEP. "Victor is in Italy with the chairman and I got some news that they're working good and we will soon have some news. A profile like Chris Wood's is good to have but also players who can adapt, another type of player who can combine a little bit more and run deep.

"These are the possibilities we're looking at right now. We know the prices of homegrown players. They've very high. We have to have that in mind and also the quality we can sign abroad. These two combinations we need to look at."

Former striker Ross McCormack - currently an outcast at Aston Villa - and Hamburg forward Pierre-Michel Lasogga have both been linked with moves to Elland Road during the remainder of a transfer window which is likely to see Leeds add to the 12 players they have signed since the end of last term.

Additional deals will be funded by the money recouped from Wood's departure, with Radrizzani claiming that all the money will be fully reinvested to give Christiansen the best possible chance of ending the club's wait for a return to the top flight.

"We want players at Leeds who consider us a big club and we want players who are committed to our vision to return to the Premier League," he added. "Supporters can rest assured that monies generated from the sale of Chris Wood will be reinvested into adding to the 12 signings we have made already."