Reliable journalist: Striker wants Leeds move 'a lot' but talks stall – clubs £4.5m apart on fee

Talks between Leeds United and Basel over a deal for Brazilian striker Arthur Cabral have stalled, according to O Povo journalist Fernando Graziani. 

In an update on Wednesday afternoon, the Brazilian journalist said, "Arthur Cabral: From close sources, Basel, at least at the moment, will not take less than €20m for the striker.

"Leeds have warned the Swiss club that they are not willing to pay the full valuation. It is a stalemate."

In an exclusive interview with MOT Leeds News, Graziani had said the two clubs were in talks over a deal, with Leeds looking to pay less but top up with performance-related add-ons.

However, it now looks like an impasse has been reached with Basel wanting £18m and Leeds prepared to pay no more than £13.5m up front.

In a further update, Graziani said that Cabral likes the idea of moving to Leeds "a lot" but doesn't have the profile to push a move through.

A transfer impasse can go one of three ways. Either one side blinks and the deal goes through or the two sides reach some sort of compromise.

Failing that, the two sides walk away and the deal is off.

It does seem that Leeds are interested in a deal for Cabral but only at the right price.

Basel only paid €4.4m over a structure that saw them pay four instalments over two years of €1.1m.

They want to see a 4x return on their 2019 investment and you can understand why Leeds are baulking at that in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Yes, Leeds need to get deals over the lines but it's important not to pay over the odds for a player who's not been tested in Europe outside of a weak Swiss league.

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