Gvardiol to join RB Leipzig after Leeds move falls through
The one that got away in Leeds United transfer news, Josko Gvardiol, is heading to Germany rather than Yorkshire.
Leeds had pursued Gvardiol for several weeks, but have since added Diego Llorente instead. Reports surfaced recently that Gvardiol did not want to move to Elland Road despite the Whites agreeing a fee with Dinamo Zagreb.
German outlet SportBuzzer report the teenage defender has arrived in Germany for a medical with RB Leipzig.
Not many players have turned down Leeds this off-season, with Llorente, Robin Koch and Rodrigo all arriving. Rodrigo De Paul is reportedly keen on a move.
Andy Bara, Gvardiol’s agent, gave an interview to Calciomercato explaining the decision.
He said, “True, he had an offer from Leeds but he chose Leipzig for the sporting project. At an economic level the offers were practically the same.”
With the Llorente and Koch transfers wrapped up, missing out on Gvardiol is far from a disaster for Marcelo Bielsa.
Romano Updates On Cuisance Chase
One of the major Premier League transfer stories of the last few days, it appears Leeds are within touching distance of completing a deal for Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Cuisance.
888Sport reported of Leeds’ interest over the weekend – high-profile transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has given a massive update for Leeds fans.
Romano tweeted, “Michael Cuisance told to Bayern Munich board he wants to play. That’s why he agreed personal terms with Leeds. Bayern and #LUFC are still negotiating about the fee.”
This, of course, isn’t the first time Leeds have seemingly agreed personal terms without landing on a transfer fee.
The De Paul saga appears to be in a similar spot, but Cuisance’s desire to play elsewhere could make transfer negotiations easier for the Elland Road outfit.
Cuisance has the versatility to play regularly in this Leeds midfield, even with the options Bielsa already has. If he’s agreed terms, it seems Leeds have made sufficient promises to convince him this is a good move for his career.
Gray Linked With Leeds
Leicester City winger Demarai Gray has been linked with a move to Leeds United, per The Daily Mail.
This isn’t the first time Gray’s future at the King Power Stadium has been put in doubt – he was reportedly a target for both Tottenham and Newcastle earlier this off-season.
Those two teams seem to have sorted their respective weaknesses on the flanks. Leeds, meanwhile, seem to still be on the look out for a forward player.
Gray hasn’t been named in the 18 for any of Leicester’s Premier League matches so far this season, and the arrival of Cengiz Under will make it yet tougher for him to get minutes.
In the last year of his contract, a move would make sense for Leicester and Gray – will he end up at Elland Road?
Credit for the main photo belongs to Oli Scarff / Pool via AP*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 28th September 2020
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Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
