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Leeds United pull brakes on pursuit of Brereton Diaz amid £25m Blackburn reveal
Leeds United have been priced out of a move for Blackburn centre-forward Ben Brereton Diaz this month, according to The Mirror.
The newspaper reported via their print edition on Thursday [20 January, page 60] that West Ham have made the 22-year-old striker their number one transfer target for the rest of January – even though Blackburn want £25million for him.
It is understood that “potential buyers” Leeds and Sevilla have been put off by Blackburn’s financial demands and their reluctance to sell their top goalscorer.
Understandable
If we were in the same position as Blackburn, we would be doing the exact same.
Blackburn have been stuck outside the Premier League for a long time despite being mainstays of the top-flight before their relegation in 2011/12.
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They are currently third in the Championship and level on points with second-placed Bournemouth in the battle for automatic promotion.
Brereton Diaz has played a major role in that with the Stoke-born Chile international scoring 20 goals in 27 league appearances for the Ewood Park outfit. Aleksandar Mitrovic of Fulham is the only player to score more Championship goals [27] than Brereton Diaz this season.
Leeds are not blessed with a wealth of striker options in Marcelo Bielsa’s senior squad.
Patrick Bamford has spent almost the entire season injured and while he’s on the verge of a return, Bielsa’s struggled to replace him during his time on the sidelines.
Rodrigo, Daniel James, Tyler Roberts, Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood have all been played up front but none of them have been able to showcase a similar level of ability in front of goal than Bamford.
Based on Brereton Diaz’s form in the Championship, you’d imagine that he would be able to provide that cutting edge for the Whites.
However, a deal looks practically impossible and even if Leeds did meet Blackburn’s demands, would he want to move to a club where he’d be on the bench most weeks with Bamford clearly Bielsa’s first choice?
In other Leeds United news, Victor Orta’s been spotted at the airport amid a major bid to sign a new player.