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Leeds United want to sign Ecuador forward Gonzalo Plata from Sporting CP
Leeds United are seeking a deal to sign Sporting CP forward Gonzalo Plata this summer after he impressed on loan at Real Valladolid, according to FM Mundo.
The Ecuadorian radio station reported on their Twitter account on 2 June that the Whites are eyeing up a move to sign the 21-year-old winger, who helped Ronaldo’s Real Valladolid win promotion to La Liga on the final day of the 2021/22 season.
On 31 May, Spanish newspaper Marca claimed that Valladolid have an option to buy Plata from Sporting CP for £8.5million. However it is “almost impossible” that they’ll be able to afford that.
Raphinha replacement?
Raphinha has been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Leeds United eyeing up a potential replacement for the Brazilian winger.
Plata is a right-winger who’s 21-years-old and plays for Raphinha’s former club Sporting.
Even though he’s young, he’s already played 38 times in all competitions for the Lisbon giants, scoring four goals and supplying four assists in the process.
He was sent on loan to Valladolid last summer to gain vital senior experience – and he definitely did that.
Plata played 30 times in Spain’s second-tier, scoring six goals and supplying five assists.
On the final day of the season, the Ecuador international scored one and created another in a 3-0 win over Huesca to seal Valladolid’s return to La Liga.
Despite his tender age, it’s clear that Plata is a big-game player with a big future ahead of him and Leeds could definitely do a lot worse than signing the up-and-coming South American.
Even if Raphinha stays, it wouldn’t hurt to strike a deal for Plata because he can learn a lot from being in Raphinha’s shadow before one day replacing him in the starting line-up.
However, if Raphinha does head to Barcelona, Plata is a left-footed, right-sided winger who looks to be capable of filling the void the Brazilian will ultimately leave.
Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta have made a strong start to the transfer window this summer.
Let’s hope it continues.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites have tabled a “huge” bid to secure a new signing for Marsch’s first-team.