Leeds United transfer news as Josko Gvardiol lifts lid on near Elland Road move
Highly-rated RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol has shared that he nearly joined Leeds United back in 2020 before making a move to the Bundesliga.
Speaking to The Times, Gvardiol says he had “two options” between Leeds United and Leipzig when Marcelo Bielsa was head coach of the Whites.
The Croatian centre-back claims Leeds United showed him a plan of how he would fit into their style of football, something that nearly convinced him of joining.
“I had two options, between Leeds and Leipzig,” he told The Times. (19 February)
“[Marcelo] Bielsa was the coach and I don’t know if you know this but my goal in my career is to play in the Premier League.
“I didn’t speak with Bielsa but of course, he sends a few people and they came to Zagreb. I met these guys and they show me it was something like a plan how they see me in their style of football. I mean, when they presented it everything looked good and you could maybe see yourself there in that moment.
“I knew that I needed to take a few steps more before I get [to the Premier League] one day. At the end, Leipzig is a really good club and I feel good here. It’s important I play almost every game. I am very grateful to Dani Olmo because he was here and I spoke with him a lot of times before I decided to sign.”
If only.
Oh, how the Leeds United defence could have done with a player of Gvardiol’s calibre in recent seasons and this isn’t the kind of news Whites want to be hearing right now.
The towering centre-back is a fiercely supreme talent something he all but confirmed at the FIFA World Cup whilst playing for Croatia.
And it seems Leeds United were genuinely close to signing him back in the Bielsa days if this latest interview from the youngster is anything to go by.
Instead, Leeds chose the path of leaking goals and losing leads due to calamitous defending and it seems like Gvardiol made the right choice to avoid Elland Road.
He’ll likely be playing for a European juggernaut next season or even in the Premier League seeing as that’s his dream goal for his career.
For now, Whites could only dream of having Gvardiol tearing it up in West Yorkshire, another near-transfer miss that has become an all too familiar feeling in recent years.
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