Leeds United face West Ham, Wolves competition for defender tracked by Juventus | OneFootball

Koni De Winter has played half of Genoa's Serie A games this campaign since making a summer move

Championship leaders Leeds United reportedly face competition from Premier League clubs West Ham United and Wolves for highly-rated Genoa defender Koni De Winter, who has also been tracked by Juventus and other Italian sides.

De Winter currently plies his trade in Serie A, where he is managed by Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. Only 22 years old, the centre-back spent time in Juventus’ academy but hails from Belgium.

Leeds United will need promotion to compete with Premier League interest

Reuters

inews reports that Leeds are among a host of clubs interested in bringing De Winter across to England in the summer.

Daniel Farke’s high-flying Whites will be focusing on securing promotion to the Premier League but transfer bosses at Elland Road will already be making plans for summer business, no matter what division they find themselves in next season.

Promotion will likely be a deciding factor in Leeds’ pursuit of De Winter, with Premier League outfits West Ham and Wolves also attributed with interest in the Belgian defender.

De Winter recent comments suggest that dropping down to the Championship is not likely to be part of his plans.

He told inews: “I just want to come as far as possible. It’s not that I say I have to play Premier League or I have to play Bundesliga, I just want the best, the best for myself.

“The Premier League is one of the best competitions in the world, so yes, I hear some nice things.”

But Leeds will not just face competition from fellow English clubs, with sides on the continent also reported to be tracking De Winter.

Juventus, who only sold the defender last summer, are thought to have kept tabs on their academy graduate, whilst fellow Italian giants AC Milan and Roma are also watching De Winter.

Before any transfer pursuits in the summer, Leeds will focus on the conclusion of their Championship campaign.

The Whites welcome fellow promotion contenders Sunderland to Elland Road on Monday night, with both sides desperate for a further three points.

Koni De Winter draws comparisons to Premier League legend

Reuters

De Winter is clearly confident of his own playing ability, telling inews: “All my life I have been told I play like Vincent Kompany.

“I have this ability to make runs with the ball like he did, I have the same technical side.

“It’s a really big name, so I one day hope to be able to live up to him.”

Kompany was not the only Belgian star to grace the Premier League in recent seasons, with many big names swapping the lowlands for England.

Attackers Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard starred for Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, but De Winter is only focussed on fellow defenders.

Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweild formed a rock at the back for Tottenham Hotspur, although Kompany remains clear as the top Belgian import into a Premier League defence.

De Winter added: “You look at the other big names (former Belgian defenders) and it is only right that they ended playing up in the best competitions.”

Whilst predominately a centre-back, De Winter has versatility to his game.

The Belgian can play at right-back, and also been deployed as a holding midfielder – the position Kompany initially played at Hamburg in the Bundesliga.

Alongside experience of playing in Italy’s top tier, De Winter has already been called up by his national side.