Leeds United are preparing for a season in the Premier League and are looking to bolster their squad with new additions before the end of the summer transfer window.

Football Insider reported earlier this summer that the club are not planning to build their attack around Joel Piroe, who they have doubts over heading into a top-flight campaign.

That may be due to a lack of physicality, ahead of a relegation scrap. In the Championship, the Dutchman lost a whopping 73% of his duels and only won 0.7 aerial battles per game, which shows that opposition defenders found it too easy to get the better of him.

Given the step up in quality, Piroe may not have the time and space he needs to score the 19 goals he bagged in the second tier, which is why the physical side of his game will come more into focus.

Leeds remain keen on Premier League forward

This may be why the Championship champions are now reportedly looking at two Premier League centre-forward options who have a lot more to offer physically.

Speaking to LeedsUnitedNews, journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed that Everton number nine Beto, who was signed from Udinese for £26m in 2023, is still an option for the club this summer.

When asked about alternatives to Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz, the reporter said: “From what I’m told, I still don’t think Beto’s completely off Leeds’ list and off the table.

"I still think Everton are looking at other strikers as well, so if they brought another one in, Beto might still be an option. I wouldn’t rule him out at all. He’s still on the radar and a work in progress still, even if he’s not Leeds’ first-choice.”

These comments from Bailey show that Leeds are working on Beto as an alternative to Muniz, and Daniel Farke could land his own version of Chris Wood if the club decide to pursue the Portuguese forward.

Why Beto could be Chris Wood 2.0 for Leeds

The New Zealand international, as shown in the graphic below, scored a stunning 44 goals in 88 games during his time at Elland Road before being sold to Burnley.

In the present day, Wood plays for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and is coming off the back of a 20-goal haul for the Tricky Trees in the top-flight.

Even when he is not scoring goals, though, the 6 foot 3 marksman provides a strong physical presence in the centre-forward position, which is what Beto, 6 foot 4, has also proven in the division.

As you can see in the table above, the Everton attacker may not have scored 20 goals in the league, but he did win his fair share of physical duels and averaged 5.2 duels won per game.

This suggests that he would be a big upgrade on Piroe from a physical perspective, providing the team with a better outlet when they need to alleviate pressure, as Farke's own version of Chris Wood.

Beto, who reporter Paddy Boyland claimed was "thriving" in the Premier League earlier this year, also scored his eight goals from 7.86 xG in just 15 starts.

This suggests that he has the potential and quality to hit double figures for goals in the division as a fairly clinical finisher, if Leeds are prepared to make him their starting number nine.

Therefore, Leeds could find their own version of Wood by signing Beto, as he is a powerful, towering, and traditional number nine who has proven that he can score goals in the Premier League, which could make him an ideal signing to fire the team to safety.