Victor Orta fails in Leeds United talks to sign Weston McKennie amid £22m twist
Leeds United appear to have been priced out of a move for Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, according to The Daily Star.
It’s understood Juventus are keen to offload the 24-year-old and that Jesse Marsch is a huge fan of the USA international (Daily Star, pg. 46, 26 January). However, following talks with Victor Orta, Leeds believe a deal for the Juventus man would prove too expensive.
The Serie A club are after £22million for the midfielder who earns £60,000-a-week in Turin, which is currently out of Leeds’ price range. It’s believed the Yorkshire side would be willing to take McKennie on loan with a potential buy option in the summer.
However, Juventus are keen to secure a permanent exit and don’t want to fund part of his wages if they do agree a loan deal.
Tricky
This seems like a really tricky move for Leeds to try and pull off. Fans are clearly excited about the potential signing of McKennie but the club also need it to make financial sense. There’s a fine line between being ambitious and being wreckless, and we’ve seen plenty of clubs fall foul of poor financial decisions in the past.
Let’s hope the two parties can come to some sort of agreement when it comes to the American international. Realistically, Juventus will be looking to shift some part of his wage, and if Leeds took on half of his salary, it could allow for the Whites to strike a deal.
Competition in midfield is required. Tyler Adams and Marc Roca have been the American’s go-to pairing so far in the 2022/23 campaign and if McKennie is added into the equation, Marsch will have excellent depth in the middle of the park.
This does feel like a deal which will go right to the very end of the window – and the Elland Road faithful will be hoping for Orta to work some of his magic.
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