Leeds United appear to be closing in on their first senior signing of the summer according to fresh reports in Spain…
What’s the word?
As per Sport (via Sport Witness), Valencia are negotiating Rodrigo’s sale to the Championship winners with the fee thought to be in the region of €25m (£22.5m).
The La Liga outfit are strapped for cash amid a financial crisis which has been affected by the global pandemic and their failure to qualify for Europe next season.
It’s claimed that this move has a realistic chance of happening with interest from Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid going cold in recent days.
Better than Bamford?
United’s striker landscape is going to be an interesting one in the top-flight as Marcelo Bielsa cannot rely on just Patrick Bamford as he did in the Championship.
The likes of Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Kevin Augustin came in on loan but failed to have a desired impact and the Yorkshire giants are going to need to dig deep across the pitch if they are to remain in the big time.
Rodrigo is a great option considering he’s been tried and tested at the very elite level, which includes the Champions League. This season, he delivered seven goals and 11 assists and it could have perhaps been more if he didn’t pick up a couple of injuries.
The 29-year-old also averaged 1.9 shots, 1.1 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game, meaning he could well be an ideal fit for Bielsa’s system as he can score goals but most importantly, bring others into play with his work rate.
He wins more duels per game than Bamford too having managed a total of 3.2 per match compared to the 26-year-old’s 2.6.
Former Barca boss Quique Setien admitted that he was interested in Rodrigo back in January and described the versatile 6-foot forward as “an extraordinary footballer”.
Hopefully, the White can lap him up and begin to kickstart their summer of business as the PL is merely three weeks away from resumption.
AND in other news, Leeds must swerve PL outcast after Bielsa masterclass in 2015…