Becchio set for switch to Turkey LATEST - YEP 28/1/13
Phil Hay
Luciano Becchio looks set to depart for Turkey before the end of the transfer window after Leeds United left him out of their brilliant FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The club’s leading scorer did not attend Elland Road for the fourth-round tie and he is understood to be pressing Leeds to bow to repeated approaches from the Turkish Premier League.
United have rejected three bids from an unnamed club in Turkey while also turning down an offer from a side in China but Becchio’s departure in the final days of January seems inevitable after his omission from the clash with Spurs.
The 29-year-old forward submitted a transfer request last week after turning down a new three-and-a-half year contract and learning of foreign interest in him.
Leeds offered to improve the wage of their highest earner but claimed Becchio was asking for a salary “beyond a level we could support”.
His agent, Horacio Rossi, responded to that claim over the weekend by saying the improvement in Becchio’s current wage – believed to be worth around £15,000 a week – was “insufficient” and accused Leeds of a lack of effort in negotiations.
United do not plan to increase their offer to him and Becchio is believed to favour the option of an immediate move to Turkey with his career at Elland Road seemingly at an end.
Manager Neil Warnock said: “We’ve had a few offers from abroad and one or two enquiries from England without an offer so I’d imagine that the next three or four days will be busy.
“We’ve not agreed a fee with anyone yet. I saw what his agent put out and it was a bit naughty saying that we’ve not made enough effort. That’s rubbish.
“He’s already our top earner and we’ve offered him a three-and-a-half year deal on more money so let’s put that to bed. We’ve offered him a cracking contract.
“If we don’t sign a replacement then he can’t go anywhere whether he likes it or not. But if we do then he’s quite welcome to go because you only want players who want to be here.”
Warnock was due to meet with club chief executive Shaun Harvey and director Salem Patel – an employee of Leeds owner GFH Capital – today to discuss Becchio’s situation and their own transfer targets with the January deadline set for 11pm on Thursday.
Asked if he now expected Becchio to leave, Warnock said: “I don’t honestly know. “I don’t think I’ll know until Thursday night. The only thing I’d say is that if he’s going to Turkey or China or wherever, that will take a little more organising.
“Salem’s here all week and we’re getting together today. I still want two or three players in.”
The likelihood of Becchio’s sale has increased the urgency for new arrivals at Elland Road, and Warnock was expected to resume his attempt to sign Aston Villa left-back Stephen Warnock on loan today.
But the mood around Leeds was lifted by a stunning win over Spurs who fell to goals from Luke Varney and Ross McCormack.
Varney’s early strike was the catalyst for the dramatic victory and proved a timely response to the stream of criticism aimed at him since his move from Portsmouth in July last year.
The winger stepped in to replace Becchio in United’s starting line-up and he took his first chance with a calm finish after an error by Tottenham full-back Kyle Naughton.
Warnock said: “He does get a little bit of stick from the crowd and to play him instead of Becchio was a difficult one. But when he scores like that, it helps a manager in his decisions.”
He added: “We had a few problems a few weeks ago with a bit of dissent around the place but that was a good match to report on.
“We’ve had negative press on some of our results yet we’ve won six on the trot at home.
“But in Leeds the glass is always half empty. It’s never half full. That might be a Yorkshire trait.”
Luciano Becchio looks set to depart for Turkey before the end of the transfer window after Leeds United left him out of their brilliant FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The club’s leading scorer did not attend Elland Road for the fourth-round tie and he is understood to be pressing Leeds to bow to repeated approaches from the Turkish Premier League.
United have rejected three bids from an unnamed club in Turkey while also turning down an offer from a side in China but Becchio’s departure in the final days of January seems inevitable after his omission from the clash with Spurs.
The 29-year-old forward submitted a transfer request last week after turning down a new three-and-a-half year contract and learning of foreign interest in him.
Leeds offered to improve the wage of their highest earner but claimed Becchio was asking for a salary “beyond a level we could support”.
His agent, Horacio Rossi, responded to that claim over the weekend by saying the improvement in Becchio’s current wage – believed to be worth around £15,000 a week – was “insufficient” and accused Leeds of a lack of effort in negotiations.
United do not plan to increase their offer to him and Becchio is believed to favour the option of an immediate move to Turkey with his career at Elland Road seemingly at an end.
Manager Neil Warnock said: “We’ve had a few offers from abroad and one or two enquiries from England without an offer so I’d imagine that the next three or four days will be busy.
“We’ve not agreed a fee with anyone yet. I saw what his agent put out and it was a bit naughty saying that we’ve not made enough effort. That’s rubbish.
“He’s already our top earner and we’ve offered him a three-and-a-half year deal on more money so let’s put that to bed. We’ve offered him a cracking contract.
“If we don’t sign a replacement then he can’t go anywhere whether he likes it or not. But if we do then he’s quite welcome to go because you only want players who want to be here.”
Warnock was due to meet with club chief executive Shaun Harvey and director Salem Patel – an employee of Leeds owner GFH Capital – today to discuss Becchio’s situation and their own transfer targets with the January deadline set for 11pm on Thursday.
Asked if he now expected Becchio to leave, Warnock said: “I don’t honestly know. “I don’t think I’ll know until Thursday night. The only thing I’d say is that if he’s going to Turkey or China or wherever, that will take a little more organising.
“Salem’s here all week and we’re getting together today. I still want two or three players in.”
The likelihood of Becchio’s sale has increased the urgency for new arrivals at Elland Road, and Warnock was expected to resume his attempt to sign Aston Villa left-back Stephen Warnock on loan today.
But the mood around Leeds was lifted by a stunning win over Spurs who fell to goals from Luke Varney and Ross McCormack.
Varney’s early strike was the catalyst for the dramatic victory and proved a timely response to the stream of criticism aimed at him since his move from Portsmouth in July last year.
The winger stepped in to replace Becchio in United’s starting line-up and he took his first chance with a calm finish after an error by Tottenham full-back Kyle Naughton.
Warnock said: “He does get a little bit of stick from the crowd and to play him instead of Becchio was a difficult one. But when he scores like that, it helps a manager in his decisions.”
He added: “We had a few problems a few weeks ago with a bit of dissent around the place but that was a good match to report on.
“We’ve had negative press on some of our results yet we’ve won six on the trot at home.
“But in Leeds the glass is always half empty. It’s never half full. That might be a Yorkshire trait.”
