Leeds United: 49ers Enterprises could spark bidding war for Diego Llorente after January transfer development at PSG
49ers Enterprises could have the opportunity to spark a bidding war at Leeds United for wantaway Diego Llorente in January with Paris Saint-Germain now interested.
Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna (9 January) shared that the oil-rich French champions are now advancing on a deal to sign the Spaniard amid their ongoing defensive crisis at the Parc des Princes.
PSG manager Luis Enrique has now turned his attention to Llorente who earned a staggering £115k per week while he was a Leeds United player in the Premier League (Angus Kinnear, Square Ball, 9 September) after they saw an approach for Bayern Munich star Dayot Upamecano rejected.
L’Equipe also reported on 9 January that PSG will use their good relationship with 49ers Enterprises and the leadership at Roma to broker a January deal but if the Americans are smart, they could use AS Roma’s desire to sign Llorente to their advantage also.
The Spanish defender has been an ever-present figure for Jose Mourinho’s team starting 15 of their 18 Serie A games with talk of Roma hoping to sign him permanently for a figure close to £4.3million (Roma Metropolitan, 20 December).
It is evidently clear the Spaniard sees his future away from Elland Road, having told those closest to him that he doesn’t want to step foot at the club again Forza Roma (11 April).
The Italian giants want to strengthen in defence, including making Llorente’s stay in Rome permanent in a move that would cost just over £4million.
However, Leeds United now find themselves with a wonderful opportunity to try and squeeze out more money for Llorente’s signature.
Now that PSG have entered the fray, Leeds United and the 49ers Enterprises could now spark a brilliant bidding war that ensures they can get the best out of a potential January move right now.
With his contract ending his six months, it will be catastrophic for the Whites to see yet another defender quit Elland Road for nothing after Robin Koch signed a pre-contract agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt, joining them permanently.
With PSG possessing bucket-loads of cash, what a great opportunity it would be for Leeds United to get a healthy windfall for Llorente’s services given his time at the club is at its end.
Given £6million-a-year wages at Elland Road, Leeds United must get him off his books soon enough and it has been touted to happen at some point during the season [Phil Hay, The Square Ball, 9 September].
There’s a huge opportunity to get his exit sealed right now.
In other Leeds United news, a fellow Championship side have made an approach to seal one of the club’s attacking players on loan.