'Negotiations underway' as Leeds United man edges towards €5m exit — YEP 14/6/24
By Will Jackson
Negotiations are reportedly underway as Roma look to secure
the permanent signing of Diego Llorente from Leeds United. Llorente has spent
the last 18 months on loan with the Italian outfit after opting to leave Elland
Road in January 2023.
However, the Spaniard's latest loan with the club has come
to an end and there has been some debate about what his next month could be.
Initially the expectation was that Llorente would eventually make the permanent
move to Roma, but recent reports seemed to cast doubt on that notion by
suggesting the club could look to promote from within rather than shell out the
cash needed to secure the defender's services.
A fresh report from Il Tempo, via Voce Giallo Rossa, though,
claims that Roma have now opened talks with Leeds to purchase Llorente. With
the summer transfer window now open, a deal could be expected to progress
relatively quickly with a fee of €5m being touted by the newspaper.
Llorente is said to be keen on making the move, too, with
the 30-year-old having no intention of returning to Elland Road to see out the
two remaining years on his contract. As such, the transfer seems to be a deal
that suits all parties this summer.
The centre-back joined the Whites back in 2020 with Leeds
paying a reported £18m to Real Sociedad for his services. He had to wait to
make his debut for the club due to a groin issue and it's fair to say that
injuries got the best of him during his first season with the club under
Marcelo Bielsa.
Llorente played much more of a consistent role in his second
season as Leeds battled against Premier League relegation, but a run of poor
form and mistakes saw him lose his spot in the Leeds side under Jesse Marsch
and that led to his eventual exit after two and a half years. He made 59
appearances for the club in that time with four goals coming along the way.
His time with Roma seems to have been a lot more fruitful
with Llorente featuring in the 2023 Europa League final against Sevilla before
making 41 appearances for the club last season, playing key roles under Jose
Mourinho and Daniele De Rossi. Unfortunately, he couldn't help the club into
the Champions League spots this season.
Writing on his Instagram page earlier this month, Llorente
said: "It's time to look back and evaluate. We can't be happy because we
had the team to go beyond and we were very close to achieving great goals.
"However, it was not an easy season either and the
team, together with the fans, overcame very difficult moments and we left
everything on the field. We fought and suffered until the end. Thank you for
your support in every game. You guys have been incredible. Off days of rest...
and waiting."
