How Leeds approach the upcoming summer transfer window will be a fascinating sequence of events.

A year ago, as they geared up to re-enter the Premier League, the Whites acted shrewdly to bring in the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha on free transfers.

One of the biggest priorities was to sign a bunch of big men. That might be doing the recruitment team something of a disservice but it was a cunning tactic.

Why did they do that? Well, everyone knows the English top-flight is about as physical and relentless as it comes. You need genuine athletes to compete. Lo and behold, they stayed up. Their business last summer was key in helping them achieve that.

So, where next? Well, it's now about raising the ceiling as opposed to the floor like they did a year ago. Now it's time for Leeds to really go after European football and follow in the footsteps of Sunderland.

Leeds pursuing £40m star in exciting move

For Daniel Farke and Co, it looks like there will be a big drive to sign new forward players. Willy Gnonto's time at the club looks as though it could be set to come to an end while it's widely expected that Joel Piroe will depart over the summer months.

As a result, the Whites are looking to bolster their attacking line and have already cast their eyes in the direction of Liverpool's Harvey Elliott and Wolves' Mateus Mane.

While the latter would likely command a big fee after his breakthrough season at Molineux, Elliott is set to be available for a cut-price as he looks for an escape route out of Anfield.

Perhaps the most exciting link, however, concerns winger Said El Mala.

Last week, Brentford were reported to have submitted a £40m bid to German side Cologne to seal his services but according to On The Minute, Leeds have now enthered the race to sign El Mala too.

Those two English clubs are not the only sides in the race to sign the wide player with interest emerging from Brighton, Chelsea and Newcastle as well.

How Said El Mala compares to Noah Okafor

Out of all of the signings last summer, the longer the season has gone on, the more exciting the deal to sign Noah Okafor from AC Milan has turned out to be.

There was scepticism when he first headed to Yorkshire. After all, he was leaving the San Siro behind having scored just a solitary goal last season. He was hardly in form.

Yet, in England, the Swiss star has become a force and ended the season in quite some style, even if he did miss a period with injury.

Either side of a hamstring problem that saw the 26-year-old miss four games, he scored six times in seven league matches. It was a remarkable run of form and one that cemented himself as one of the most vibrant players Leeds have had in the last few years. It was Raphinha-esque.

However, at the same time, Okafor has still been inconsistent. He feels like the very definition of a streaky player. He did not score in 16 straight league games prior to that run.

In El Mala, therefore, they could sign an upgrade, someone who is potentially even better than the Switzerland international.

Aged just 19, the German is one for the future but he's also one for the present and his form in the Bundesliga this season showed exactly why.

While Okafor ended his debut campaign at Leeds with eight goals and three assists in 34 matches, El Mala netted 13 times and provided five assists for his teammates in an equal number of league outings.

He was certainly less streaky too. The teenager's longest spell without a goal involvement was just six games which came at the beginning of the year.

So, we know the youngster can score and assist but what really sets El Mala apart from Okafor? Said to be "unstoppable" in the words of analyst and reporter Bence Bocsak, the wide man is "very explosive".

He's already an elite dribbler, completing 2.02 per 90 in the Bundesliga this season, a statistic that placed him among the top 3% of positionally similar players in the German top-flight. Okafor is similar in that regard. In fact, he actually managed 2.24 successful dribbles per 90 for Leeds.

When it comes to chance creation, El Mala is certainly more efficient. While Leeds' main man in attack registered just 0.23 big chances created per 90, the Cologne star created 0.37.

Of course, Okafor was producing his level of performance in a sterner league but Leeds' new target looks incredibly exciting. He's already scoring more regularly and assisting more regularly than the man he could rival for a place in the team if he makes the move to Elland Road.

El Mala is far from the finished product but with a replacement needed for Gnonto and an upgrade required on Dan James, he ticks a lot of boxes.