Diego Llorente couldn’t wait to leave Leeds United after ‘immediately’ saying yes to Roma transfer in January
Leeds United defender Diego Llorente has admitted that he “immediately said yes” when Roma contacted him about a transfer in January.
The Spanish central defender penned a new long-term deal with the Whites before Christmas before joining the Serie A side on loan for the rest of the season in the January window, with the option to make the move permanent.
Now Llorente has shared that he didn’t even think twice when Jose Mourinho called him about a move, with speculation that the Italian side will look to sign him permanently after his recent impressive form.
“It’s always nice to hear the coach’s words towards me,” he said, as quoted by Numero-Diez (3 April).
“When he called me, Mourinho, I thought it was a unique opportunity. I immediately said yes.
“I’m working hard to be important for this Roma.”
Interesting
Obviously it’s not nice to hear that a player jumped at the chance to leave your club at the first opportunity, but it also can’t be ignored that it’s rare Jose Mourinho wants to sign a Leeds player.
Llorente was hardly an important member of the first-team, and it was more of a shock than anything else when his new contract was announced by the club.
When the January move was revealed it was determined by most that the new contract was simply a way for the club to protect his value more than anything else, and it worked out well.
The club reportedly inserted a buy-option for Roma which was worth a similar amount to what they paid for him from Real Sociedad in 2020, which immediately makes a sale an attractive option.
If Roma opt not to do that and a deal can’t be agreed, we know he’s good enough to provide cover for the first-team if needed so we’re in a win-win situation. But these recent comments are unlikely to win him many points with the fans, and an exit now seems inevitable one way or another.
In other Leeds news, a senior ace is likely to be axed for the clash with Nottingham Forest.
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