Leeds United have suffered a blow in their bid to sign an attacking midfielder based in Italy this summer, after Alessandro Nesta was handed the job at a Serie A side on Wednesday.
The Whites are expected to be in the market for a number of new signings this summer with The 49ers admitting that a few will have to leave, in order to balance the books and sort a huge credit card bill.
The likes of Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, Illan Meslier, Archie Gray and Ilia Gruev have caught the eye among top-tier clubs and a number of moves are expected to take place in the coming months.
For Leeds to remain competitive and push for promotion next season, The Whites need to sell big and make a profit. But to do that, Leeds will have to buy cheap, secure a few loans or even free transfers.
One player Leeds are supposedly interested in signing is Reggiana’s £3.5m-rated midfielder Natan Girma. The 6ft 2in playmaker has impressed in Italy’s second tier during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring six goals.
Leeds suffer Natan Girma blow as Nesta takes on new role
Leeds of course have since welcomed back Brenden Aaronson despite the American jumping ship last summer to join Union Berlin on loan after relegation, easing the need to bring in a new signing at no.10.
But ‘jewel’ Girma is on the Leeds list with The Whites said have made enquiries and staged talks for the playmaker over the last few months. However, Leeds are not alone in the race to land Girma’s signature.
Initial reports said that Watford were keen but so too were Serie A side Monza. The top-tier Italian outfit finished in a very solid 12th place last season, but have just lost their manager in Raffaele Palladino.
Nesta takes Monza role and he could now sign Leeds target Girma
That in turn, has struck a blow in Leeds’ pursuit of signing Girma. That is because Monza have turned to Italian legend Nesta to take over as the club’s new boss going into 2024-25, taking him from Reggiana.
There is no doubt that Girma’s best season came during 2023-24 under Nesta. With Monza interested, and now boasting the manager that had Girma at his disposal last term, Girma looks destined for Monza.
Leeds do now have Aaronson but having a player like Girma, who can play deeper in midfield or been out wide and boasts similarities to Georginio Rutter, would have been a very strong addition to the side.