Two of the eight senior players that left Leeds United on loan have already sorted out their next permanent move but Diego Llorente’s future remains up in the air.
Luis Sinisterra has agreed a permanent move to Bournemouth after leaving Leeds last summer for The Vitality Stadium. Robin Koch will complete a long-term move to Frankfurt when his Leeds deal expires.
Marc Roca is expected to return from Real Betis with the Spanish club unable to afford him while Rasmus Kristensen will also come back to Elland Road, failing to convince the Roma hierarchy to buy him.
Jack Harrison, Max Wober, Llorente and Brenden Aaronson’s futures are still up in the air. Jesse Marsch has urged Aaronson to leave Leeds and find himself a new club where he can thrive, and be able to shine.
Llorente meanwhile has clocked up 53 appearances for Roma in the 18 months he has spent on loan with the Giallorossi. Daniele De Rossi, who replaced Jose Mourinho, has been impressed with the Spanish star.
De Rossi even branded Llorente as “tremendous” recently and reports say he has convinced Roma to sign him permanently. Talks are scheduled but Leeds are expected to make a loss on their £18m investment.
Here is what the new report says about Llorente and Roma:
Diego Llorente convinces Roma to buy him from Leeds United
Siamo La Roma say 30-year-old Llorente does not have a permanent clause in his loan deal with Roma. But Roma are willing to enter talks with Leeds in order to strike a permanent move for the Spain defender.
However, Roma are only willing to pay a ‘relatively low’ fee to sign Llorente given he is completely out of the picture at Elland Road after just 59 games from signing in 2020 until exiting for Roma in January 2023.
Reports in January suggested that Roma would only be willing to pay a fee of £4m for Llorente, which would see Leeds lose a whopping £14m on the man they signed from Real Sociedad four years ago.
Leeds fans would understand hefty loss on Llorente, even for £4m
Leeds will want Llorente off the wage bill while Llorente himself will be desperate to sign permanently for a side where he has enjoyed success, the Serie A clearly suiting his game more than the Premier League.
A loss of £14m on a player thatpromised so much but delivered so little in a Leeds shirt will come as a blow but ultimately, that addition was four years ago and now his sale is a boost to the Leeds coffers.
Getting him off the books and raking in £4m is not going to hurt anyone at Leeds, other than the pride of Victor Orta who once again flopped in making a costly signing at Elland Road in the form of Llorente.
