Report claims Leeds United to buy Standard Liège prospect Nicolas Raskin but what's the latest? - YEP 16/1/22
Leeds United are not currently in talks to sign Standard Liège midfielder Nicolas Raskin, the YEP understands.
By Graham Smyth
A report in a national newspaper has suggested the Whites
are set to sign the 20-year-old this week in a £6m deal, but according to his
camp no talks have taken place and the suggestion from Leeds is that he's not
one of their top targets for January.
As a defensive midfielder Raskin has a profile that would
make him an interesting prospect for Leeds and as one of Belgium's leading
young lights there are a number of clubs monitoring his situation. Raskin,
capped by Belgium at Under 21 level, is contracted to Standard Liège until the
summer of 2023 but according to sources close to the player, a January move
away from Les Rouches is a possibility.
Leeds are in the market for a midfielder this month to
bolster Marcelo Bielsa' s squad, having not added a senior signing in that area
since Adam Forshaw joined the club from Middlesbrough in 2018. No new arrivals
are thought to be imminent, yet, however. Their first bit of January transfer
business came in the form of teenage Espanyol striker Mateo Joseph Fernandez.
That deal was done by January 4 and the 18-year-old has linked up with Mark
Jackson's Under 23s initially.
The club's other business has revolved around the contract
situations of those already at Elland Road. Kris Moore, an 18-year-old
centre-half, put pen to paper on his first ever professional contract and will
remain at the club until the summer of 2024. Adam Forshaw also reached an
agreement with the club to extend his stay. The midfielder has been a
revelation since returning from almost two years out through injury,
dumbfounding expectations with his performances and energy levels. Putting
back-to-back-to-back displays together and looking none the worse for it
physically is just what he and Leeds needed. His new contract is a one-year
extension but the Whites do hold an option to keep him until 2024.
Talks are also ongoing with Brazilian winger Raphinha,
something Bielsa has called a 'great decision.' Raphinha has been the subject
of transfer talk across Europe in recent months though the Whites have no
intention of selling their key winger in the January window.
His agent and former Barcelona man Deco was spotted in LS11
last month and the YEP understands contract talks began in earnest earlier this
month.
Bielsa has welcomed the move.
“I think it is a great decision," he said.
"Raphinha is the best player in the team in all the
senses. Physically, he is the best, technically he is at the level of the best
and the interpretation that he has of the game is very good, very wise.
"He is within the group of such a powerful nation as
Brazil. He shines in the Premier League and he has the attention of all the big
clubs in the world. All of those things are something that you guys know as
much as me, nothing that I am saying is new. As a result, the decision of the
club can only be valued.”
