Leeds United must sign someone of comparable quality to Matej Vydra if they are unable to sign the Derby County forward, former White David Prutton believes.
The Yorkshire giants have been chasing Vydra, with the move being given the blessing of new head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Derby want between £11m and £12m to let Vydra go, while Leeds were also willing to match his current pay-packet of around £30,000 a week at Pride Park.
But Vydra's wage demands are higher and Leeds have been priced out of a deal on current terms.
Prutton is unwilling to criticise Leeds for trying to sign Vydra, but feels that they must find an alternative who is of a similar level and quickly given the new season is drawing closer.
"Assuming Vydra isn’t going to happen now, and it sounds unlikely, then Leeds must bite the bullet and find a viable alternative", Prutton wrote in his column for the Yorkshire Evening Post.
"I don’t for one second believe they were playing games by approaching Vydra because the summer is too short to waste time on deals you’ve got no chance of sealing but, on the basis that Vydra was seen as a realistic option, you’d now expect the club to deliver on someone comparable and someone with a similar reputation."
Leeds have also been in talks with former Hull City striker Abel Hernandez, who is a free agent after departing the Tigers.
But Hernandez's financial demands have also left Leeds unwilling to complete the deal.
