Tottenham chief Fabio Paratici pulls the strings as Leeds United player green lights exit
Leeds United are still waiting for their January transfer window to burst into life.
After a summer window that saw 10 new players sign for Leeds, it’s been an eerily quiet first two weeks of the winter sales at Elland Road.
Paraag Marathe has been accused of letting down Daniel Farke as a result of Leeds‘ lack of transfer activity, despite the general consensus being that his side could really start kicking on towards the top half of the Premier League table if he’s backed in the market this month.
Just a handful of loan moves have been sanctioned for some of Leeds’ young players so far, with striker Harry Gray the latest as he heads for Rotherham United.
Tottenham director Fabio Paratici orchestrating Jack Harrison transfer
Jack Harrison has been left out in the West Yorkshire cold this season, having returned from two years out on loan with Everton to find himself no longer the key player he used to be for Leeds.
As such, Harrison is on the verge of joining Fiorentina, as the 29-year-old failed to make an impression on Farke in Leeds’ FA Cup win over Derby on 11 January.
And, in a fresh report from the print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday, it’s been reported that Harrison is indeed a player that Fiorentina would very much like to sign in the coming days.
However, they also claim that the deal – which is claimed to be a loan with an option to buy for around £8.6million – has all the hallmarks of a Fabio Paratici-led move.
Paratici is currently a co-sporting director at Tottenham, but he will leave Spurs at the end of the winter window to take up a role with Fiorentina.
Harrison is stated as already approving the move to the Serie A side, but some crucial elements of the deal, such as agreeing wage splits and buyout fees, are still to be agreed by the two clubs.
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Why Harrison is taking major gamble with Fiorentina move
Whilst Fiorentina are a big club in Italian football, he would be joining a Paolo Vanoli-led side that are currently sitting 18th in Serie A, and three points inside the relegation zone.
They’ve won just two games all season so far, and face a tough away trip to ninth-placed Bologna on Sunday.
- Fiorentina have scored just 10 goals from open play this season
- They’ve scored 21 goals in 20 Serie A games
- Five of those goals have been penalties
Fiorentina are a team that is massively struggling for goals and all-round attacking output, and so it could be viewed as a good move for Harrison in that regard, as he would have a big opportunity to come in and become a real hero for them if he can spark their attack into life.
However, if that doesn’t happen and Fiorentina can’t turn their season around, then Harrison would be looking at Serie B football in 2026-27, which would be a huge drop to take at this stage in his career.