Leeds United are set to battle it out with Everton for the signing of Boulaye Dia, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The loanee Salernitana striker is currently competing at the World Cup with Senegal, but Jesse Marsch could swoop for him in the New Year, to strengthen the attacking options at Elland Road.

Leeds Transfer News - Boulaye Dia

Tutto Salernitana stress that in all likelihood Dia will be a Salernitana player at the end of the season, with the Italian club reserving the option to make his move permanent if they pay Villarreal a fee in the region of £10m.

However, they may choose to auction the forward immediately, should that be his desire, with West Ham United and Everton also said to be monitoring a potential deal, which could amount to around £17m in the summer.

The same publication has previously indicated that Everton have perhaps made the most progress towards securing the 26-year-old's signature, stating back in October that Everton have already contacted Villarreal regarding the deal.

What has Jones said about Dia?

Jones claims that a switch to the Premier League is a possibility for the striker, who is now at the point where he needs to take the next step in his career, telling GIVEMESPORT: "He's exciting and he was always going to be one of the players expected to be a breakout from the World Cup.

"He's very confident, he's got a lot of belief in himself, the people around him believe that he is ready for the next step in his career and that the Premier League is possible, so it would make sense to me that Leeds and Everton should be seriously looking at him right now."

Could Dia's price tag rise because of the World Cup?

Senegal progressed to the knockout stages of the World Cup with a 2-1 victory against Ecuador on Monday, securing a second place finish in Group A.

Dia has so far started in all three games, as per Transfermarkt, notching the opening goal in the 3-1 victory against Qatar on matchday two, a game in which he was his side's best player, according to SofaScore.

African journalist Usher Komugisha has lauded the Leeds target as "magic" for his prowess in the attack, who also displayed his passing range during the victory by completing one long ball and registering one key pass, as per SofaScore.

As such, the 22-time Senegal international, as per Transfermarkt, could really put himself in the shop window if performances continue in this manner, although his side face a tough test on Sunday, taking on England in the round of 16.