Leeds United
TRANSFER TWIST: Leeds United reject £5m+ offer, think Star is worth more.
Diego Llorente won’t be leaving Leeds United just yet after the club rejected a £5.1million bid from Real Betis, according to the Daily Mirror.
David Anderson reported on 3 July that the Whites believe the 30-year-old is worth more than Betis’ offer and are holding out for more, still intending to sell him this summer.
After Llorente spent the last season and a half on loan at Roma, the Serie A side decided against signing him permanently and opened the door for Betis, who have already purchased Marc Roca for £3.8million [Estadio Deportivo, 1 July].
Leeds United taking control of Diego Llorente transfer
Control over the movements of outgoing players has been seldom at Elland Road in the last 12 months, with Llorente one of several players who exercised loan clauses in their contracts after the Whites’ relegation from the Premier League.
That meant that Llorente, Roca, and several others were able to leave the club temporarily for little or no money whatsoever, leaving United in the lurch and gaps all over the squad.
This summer though, with the sale of Archie Gray preventing the club from breaching the EFL’s profit and sustainability rules, the Peacocks finally hold the cards and can negotiate transfers on their terms.
While the Whites will now only be forced into selling players if transfer requests are handed in, there are some who Daniel Farke will have no interest in sticking around this summer – including Llorente.
Roca’s permanent transfer to Betis went off without a hitch, allowing Leeds to avoid a loss on the midfielder in PSR terms, and as they look to do the same with Llorente, they’ll hope that the La Liga club are willing to stretch their finances further [Samuel Silva, 27 June].
In other Leeds news, the club are set to lose a chunk of any transfer fee they receive for one player this summer.
