It is bad news for Leeds United transfer news fans – it looks like Dinamo Zagreb star Josko Gvardiol is set to snub a switch to Elland Road in favour of a stay in his homeland.
According to Tportal, Gvardiol was set to join Leeds this summer after the Whites matched Dinamo’s asking price of around £20 million plus bonuses down the line.
Having failed to qualify for the Champions League group stages this season, Zagreb were keen to proceed with the move as the additional income would have helped the Croatian giants.
However, the player opted to reject a switch to Elland Road, with his desire to stay in his native Croatia playing a key reason for the decision.
Leeds fans shouldn’t lose hope just yet, with reports stating that Gvardiol’s decision is the situation ‘for now’ rather than ‘final’.
With finances potentially taking centre stage from the club’s point of view, they may try to squeeze Gvardiol out in a bid to acquire the cash payment from Leeds before the end of the summer transfer window.
According to reports in Croatia, Gvardiol would prefer a switch to RB Leipzig but Leeds are offering more money. A stalemate beckons but Leeds could still come out on top.
Leeds Still Hopeful Of Foyth Switch
Tottenham Hotspur defender Juan Foyth was left out of the club’s squad for the clash with Lokomotiv Plovdiv on Thursday evening.
According to The Sun, Leeds are keen to sign Foyth this summer and Marcelo Bielsa is a big fan of the Spurs defender. However, Tottenham are yet to receive an official bid from Leeds with less than a month of the transfer window remaining.
With the north London club opting to leave Foyth out of their Europa League squad, Leeds fans will take plenty of encouragement that a deal can be made – and Bielsa is likely to be central to any chance of a move.
The Leeds boss may make contact with his compatriot in the coming weeks, particularly as Jose Mourinho chose youngster Cameron Carter-Vickers ahead of him on Thursday night.
Leeds United, Valencia and Villarreal all want to sign #thfc centre-back Juan Foyth. [Cadena Ser] pic.twitter.com/BLAhOcE5EH
— #FOOTBALLWORLD5 (@Footballworld_5) September 16, 2020
If nothing else, this shows just how far Foyth has fallen in the Tottenham pecking order and it seems like his relationship with Mourinho is now damaged beyond repair.
While reports state that Foyth wants to stay at the club, Mourinho has shown no desire to keep the Argentine at the forefront of his plans and a summer exit beckons.
ESPN believe that Foyth is at the point of no return at Spurs, with too many players now standing in his way to play regular football at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Should Leeds place an official bid for the Argentine, we could see Mourinho give the green light for a quick sale that will almost certainly benefit all parties down the line.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Manu Fernandez / AP Photo*
