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Leeds United are finalising the paperwork for Diego Llorente’s deadline day exit and the situation remains “fluid” regarding a Jack Harrison exit, Sky Sports report.
The defender is on the brink of a loan exit to Roma which is expected to become permanent at the end of the season, with the contract already sent to the league on the Italian side.
Leicester are continuing to pursue Whites winger Harrison before the deadline passes, after having a £20million offer rejected, and according to reporter Tim Thornton that is still an open situation as well.
Speaking live on Sky Sports News at 1.43pm on Tuesday (31 January) Thornton said from Thorp Arch: “One player on his way out, Diego Llorente, paperwork is being finalised on his move to Roma. The player [is] in Rome at the moment. That deal is on track.
“The future of Jack Harrison is the one thing that remains a little bit unclear as things stand. That is a fluid situation. There is interest from Leicester. Nothing to report as yet but one to keep an eye on.”
Smart move
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After the arrival of Max Wober, Llorente’s game time was always going to take a hit – and it now seems fairly obvious why the club extended his contract.
He wasn’t playing at a high enough level at Elland Road anyway so a surprisingly strong deal to move him on and bring in good money in the summer makes perfect sense.
A potential Harrison exit is less obviously the right move, since it might be the right time to cash in on him given his contract is running down and he isn’t the key man he has been, but strengthening a rival in the bottom half of the table is a risk.
Big money has been spent at Elland Road this month and it would show some confidence that it is going to result in a quick climb away from the relegation zone if the Whites sold the man who started the campaign as arguably their best player to the club level on points and goal-difference.
Leeds United presumably need to recoup cash where they can having broken the transfer record for Georginio Rutter, and are likely to spend big again on Weston McKennie at the end of the season.
And Harrison’s value is deteriorating with every window, but with Newcastle having moved onto to other things Leicester appear to be pushing a difficult decision to be made in the final hours.
In other Leeds United news, a player has gone AWOL from training after the Whites made a late, late offer to bring him in.