Leeds are still right in the relegation mire with 10 games left to go, with their only saving grace that there’s not too many points that separate 12th position from bottom-of-the-table, however, regardless of whether they stay up or drop into the Championship, it seems one player’s Elland Road career is already over.
Javi Gracia has it all to do without having to worry about contract issues or the like at this point. All discussions of that ilk can wait until the summer when their fate is known.
Currently on loan at AS Roma, Diego Llorente could well have kicked his last ball in earnest for the Yorkshire-based outfit.
According to AS Roma Live, Tiago Pinto, the Giallorossi’s technical director, ‘knows that the player has now closed his cycle’ at Leeds, and it seems he will ‘most likely try a new offer in the summer.’
It’s believed that Llorente’s fee will be around the €18m mark, which is prohibitive if he stays out of the Roma starting line-up.
Since his switch in January, he’s played less than 180 minutes of football for the Serie A giants, per WhoScored, though that did include 90 minutes this past weekend against Sampdoria, Roma keeping a clean sheet in a 3-0 win.
Even if, in the end, Jose Mourinho’s side are unable or unwilling to find the money to sign Llorente permanently, it appears that Leeds don’t have any plans for the 29-year-old, so a move elsewhere will surely appeal to all parties.
More must-reads: