Leeds United are still involved in a jungle of transfers in Italy involving Rodrigo de Paul, Erick Pulgar and Ruslan Malinovskyi but one player not coming to Elland Road is Croatian youngster Josko Gvardiol:
Leeds have lost out on Croatia Under-21 centre-half Josko Gvardiol to RB Leipzig. Leeds had a £19.6m fee accepted by Dinamo Zagreb, but Gvardiol has chosen Leipzig because he feels it is a better career move, even though Leeds offered better personal terms. #LUFC
— David Anderson (@MirrorAnderson) September 21, 2020
Mirror journalist Anderson goes on to tweet the following as he adds a little more colour to proceedings:
Leeds could not be faulted in their efforts to sign Gvardiol and their four-year contract offer is more than he will receive at Leipzig. Ultimately Gvardiol sees Leipzig as a better move because they regularly qualify for the CL and reached last season’s semis. #lufc
— David Anderson (@MirrorAnderson) September 21, 2020
To all intents and purposes, a fortnight ago Leeds looked to have almost closed what will be a surprising deal for many of their fans. Gvardiol is a young defender with barely a dozen-or-so games under his belt so, for many, the £19.6m fee being paid is more than a little startling.
Yet, true talent comes at a price and Gvardiol is seen as having the talent which justifies a hefty price tag. As hefty as it was, as generous as Leeds’ personal terms are thought to have been, it all came to nought. The bottom line is that Gvardiol and his talents seem destined for Die Roten Bull.
Leeds have lost out in that respect, but there’s another view one could take on this. To even be up there in consideration with last season’s Champions League Semi-Finalists is not only an achievement in itself but also something of a compliment.
In the Premier League and mixing it with the big boys. In the international transfer market and doing the same.
