Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch looks set to lose a senior defender, although two new arrivals are expected at Elland Road before Tuesday’s January transfer deadline.
Leeds have signed two new players so far this month. On January 3, they brought in Austrian centre-half Max Wober from Red Bull Salzburg on a contract lasting until summer 2027. According to Austrian newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten, his transfer will cost Leeds up to £17.7million (€20m) including add-ons.
20-year-old centre-forward Georginio Rutter followed Wober to Elland Road on January 14. Leeds broke their transfer record to sign him by paying Hoffenheim £35.5m.
Only one experienced player has left Leeds in January, as central midfielder Mateusz Klich has gone to Wayne Rooney’s DC United in MLS. Young players such as Joe Gelhardt and Cody Drameh, meanwhile, have been loaned out to Sunderland and Luton respectively.
Unfortunately for Marsch, he could be about to lose Diego Llorente. On Monday morning, Italian transfer reporter Gianluca Di Marzio revealed Roma had agreed to sign the centre-half.
He wrote on his website: “Roma strike a surprise on the penultimate day of the transfer market: an agreement has been found with Leeds for Diego Llorente, a defender born in 1993.”
Fellow transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has now weighed in on the situation through a tweet. He claims Roma are ‘closing in’ on the deal to sign Llorente. It will be an initial loan, with Roma having the option to buy the 29-year-old come the end of the season.
Leeds and Roma are set to complete the necessary paperwork today (Monday), ensuring the move will go through before the deadline.
Diego Llorente Roma switch comes as a surprise
The transfer has seemingly come out of nowhere. Llorente has not really been linked with a Leeds exit this month, but now he is preparing to join Roma.
Llorente could become Chris Smalling’s replacement under Jose Mourinho. Smalling has done exceptionally well at Roma since moving there in October 2020, but he now wants to leave. And he will do so as a free agent because his contract expires in June.
While Llorente is heading to Italy, Marsch’s squad could be bolstered by two more signings today. As per Phil Hay, Leeds reporter for The Athletic, club chiefs are working hard to bring in 18-year-old Servette defender Diogo Monteiro.
The teenager, who has won three caps for Portugal U19s, is in West Yorkshire to complete a medical ahead of joining Leeds.
USA midfielder Weston McKennie is also having his medical today. Leeds agreed a deal with Juventus for McKennie on Saturday. It will see Leeds pay a loan fee of just over £1m to sign McKennie for the remainder of the season.
Leeds will then have the option to snare him permanently come the summer. That option is worth £28.9m plus bonuses.
