Leeds could seal loan with option to buy move for Ross Barkley
Leeds United could seal an initial loan move for Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley before making the move permanent.
That has been suggested by Leeds Live, who have been looking closely at the initial links by 90min surrounding a potential move to Elland Road.
Barkley sees his current deal at Chelsea expire at the end of next season, meaning a loan move would take him closer to that and lower the permanent price.
The report suggests that the smart thing would be for the Whites to try and pull a cheaper deal by sealing a loan move first.
“With Barkley’s contract set to run out in 2023, there could be a possibility to sign him on loan with an option to make the deal permanent should he perform well,” they wrote.
“That would make the most sense, but nothing concrete has been confirmed yet.”
Smart?
While this may look smart on paper, we could never see this working.
Marcelo Bielsa is known for being one of the most demanding coaches in the world, and we just can’t see Barkley working relentlessly every single day – that isn’t the type of player he is.
Given his contract runs out in 2023, a move may not happen until next year and Bielsa may not be around then – bringing in a new coach with new ideas.
We don’t want to think of that world right now and would tackle that as it comes, but given the attitude and injury problems of Barkley, it wouldn’t be Victor Orta’s best work.
If Barkley was keen to change his ways and revitalise his career, an initial loan move would be smart to give him that chance, but it is hard to see it working.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has shared if the Whites are going to entertain January bids for Raphinha