Leeds United’s transfer hopes have been dealt a blow this morning as it was reported that defensive target Cristian Nikolaev has chosen Italian club Lecce over a move to Elland Road.
It has been well documented that the Yorkshire outfit are likely to be busy selling their assets this summer in a bid to comply with profit and sustainability rules, so it was also likely any incoming transfers they would be looking to make would be on the cheaper side.
Therefore, bringing in a young exciting prospect could have been the perfect opportunity for the club to not just secure a player to help bolster the squad, but also look to create a clear transfer model of buying young and cheap prospects to sell on for profit in the future. This would ensure that they do not fall foul of the rules pertaining to losses again.
However, according to Italian media outlet Sport Mediaset, Daniel Farke and the rest of the club’s hierarchy have missed out on 17-year-old defender Nikolaev. The Bulgarian teenager has been playing in the lower reaches of the Spanish footballing pyramid for AD Alcorcon B and has impressed enough to have several top European sides after him.
Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus were some of the other clubs reportedly vying for the signature of the youngster alongside Leeds, showing the side were clearly aiming to make an ambitious purchase.
It is no surprise that Farke would be looking at bringing in defensive options, with Charlie Cresswell reportedly set to depart for mainland Europe, as well as stalwart Liam Cooper potentially on the way out of the club on a free transfer.
Writer’s View
This would have been a great signing for Leeds on paper. Not only is this youngster clearly highly rated already, but his sell-on potential could have been great, something the club are clearly going to need to focus on soon.
With incomings set to be few and far between in the early stages of the window at Elland Road, this seems like a real missed opportunity to provide fans with some much-needed positive news.
