Player on Leeds radar won’t be available until September due to UCL qualifying – report
Leeds United target Florentino Luis will not be made available by Benfica until at least September, according to Record.
The Portuguese newspaper claims that Leeds, AC Milan and Real Betis are all interested in the 20-year-old midfielder with Milan willing to sign him on a two-season loan for a £2.7million fee ahead of a permanent deal worth £27.1million.
However, Benfica manager Jorge Jesus will not make a decision on Florentino’s future until after pre-season and after his side play their Champions League qualifiers in mid-September.
Can Leeds wait another month to find out whether Florentino is available?
While the transfer window does not close until October, we all know that Marcelo Bielsa likes his players to be 100 per cent fully up to speed with his tactics and at a higher level of fitness than any other player in the league.
If Florentino doesn’t arrive until after the season starts then we doubt that he would start any games for Leeds until well into the campaign.
Jean-Kevin Augustin is a great example because he did not arrive at Elland Road in good shape in January and failed to start a single game and suffered multiple injury blows due to Leeds’ strict fitness demands.
Florentino may well be a good signing for Leeds.
TuttoMercatoWeb has previously referred to him as being similar to Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira for the way he commands the holding midfield role.
Leeds are not in desperate need for a new defensive-minded midfielder – especially after how Pascal Struijk performed at the end of last season.
We would not be too fussed if Bielsa turns his attention away from this one.
In other Leeds United news, this player’s future remains unclear at Elland Road.