Real Betis prepare second bid for Leeds United defender Diego Llorente — MOT Leeds News 5/7/24

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Jonathan Burnett

Leeds United defender Diego Llorente is set to be the subject of a second transfer bid from Real Betis in the coming days, according to Mucho Deporte.

The Spanish outlet reported on 3 July that despite the Whites rejecting the LaLiga side’s opening bid of around £5.1million, Betis are “optimistic” that they’ll still be able to complete a deal for the centre-back [Daily Mirror, 3 July].

It was reported that Betis initially only wanted to spend roughly £4.25m on the 30-year-old, but they will have to go well beyond the £5m mark if they’re to complete the signing of Llorente, who is anticipating a new bid.

Llorente had looked likely to transfer to Roma following 18 months out on loan in the Italian capital, but the Serie A side’s hesitancy to pursue a permanent deal opened the door for Betis to sign him [Samuel Silva, 27 June].

While the Whites have already rejected one transfer bid for Llorente, the defender is unlikely to be anywhere near the forefront of Daniel Farke’s first-team plans going forward.

A large reason for this is likely due to the pair unlikely to have even met in person so far, given Llorente had already spent six months on loan at Roma before heading straight back out to Serie A last summer [Gianluca DiMarzio, 4 June].

Therefore, it seems the club’s rejection of Betis’ opening bid is due to wanting a better return on the £18m shelled out for Llorente four years ago, with profit and sustainability rules still a pressing issue.

However, it’s unlikely that United will be holding out for much more than the £5.1m already offered by Betis, given they’ll be keen to get Llorente’s high wages off the books relatively quickly this summer [Roma News, 18 June].

Llorente’s time at Elland Road began brilliantly, spiralled, and looks set to end fairly abruptly, with the former Spain international firmly on his way out of the club in the next few weeks [Estadio Deportivo, 1 July].

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