Roma want Diego Llorente Leeds United talks amid Villarreal development
Roma’s sporting director Tiago Pinto is expected to open talks with Leeds United over a permanent move for Diego Llorente, according to Italian news outlet, Vocegiallorossa.
The 29-year-old has been in good form of late and according to Calciomercato journalist Marco Conterio (Twitter, 22 April), Villarreal are interested in signing the Spaniard when his loan deal with the Serie A side comes to a close.
Vocegiallorossa now claim (24 April) that Roma are willing to sign the defender permanently and that Pinto will try and convince Leeds to lower their £16million valuation.
It’s understood the Serie A side will leave the decision in Leeds’ court when it comes to Llorente’s next move.
Stand firm
It’s absolutely essential Leeds stand firm in their valuation of Llorente. With interest growing, they cannot offer a cut price to Roma, just because he’s been on loan there during the 2022/23 season. The 29-year-old’s new contract at Elland Road caught everyone by surprise but it seems to have been a smart call.
It’s allowed the Whites to maintain some of his value and ensure they recoup a decent fee. He was never going to feature during the second half of the campaign, he simply wasn’t up to the standard required to be a consistent Premier League performer.
Villarreal would seem like a sensible move. He has previously impressed for Real Sociedad and came through the academy at Real Madrid. He’s potentially eager to return to his homeland and it could be a move which suits everyone.
At present, it seems the board are fairly comfortable when it comes to the Spaniard’s next move.
In other Leeds United news, Micah Richards rages at the club after major January decision backfires.