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Leeds to up bid for Salzburg forward Brenden Aaronson to £20million
Leeds United are preparing to make RB Salzburg a £20million offer for American forward Brenden Aaronson, according to The Athletic.
The Austrian giants rejected a £15million bid from the Elland Road outfit for the 21-year-old earlier this week, and the club’s sporting director Victor Orta has been sent to Austria in hopes of working out a deal.
While Salzburg are not keen on selling Aaronson during the January transfer window, the US international feels that moving to west Yorkshire to play under Marcelo Bielsa would be a significant step up for his career.
Orta and his recruitment team have kept tabs on the player well in advance of January, moving in with a firm bid after Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani sanctioned an offer.
Interesting
Leeds are ready to add another £5million to their earlier bid and are just not ready to give up on Aaronson.
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They are prepared to make him the second most expensive transfer ever for an American player behind the £55million Chelsea paid Borussia Dortmund for Christian Pulisic in 2019, and that means a lot for a club that would normally not splash the cash mid-way through the season.
Aaronson has convinced everyone at Leeds of his quality, and he surely would love to join them right away if he had his way.
Salzburg are reluctant to do business right now given their Champions League aspirations.
They face Bayern Munich next month and will not be keen to let such a player leave before then.
However, it appears they will not have any choice should their valuation be met, and it remains to be seen whether the new offer would do the trick.
Leeds clearly want a deal done this month, but one can expect them to return in the summer if their efforts fall through during the coming days.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites want to sign int’l striker on loan with move already made.